QheUire  of 

CHAUNCEY 
GILES 


Ediied  hy 

Carrie  Giles  Carter 


■>■■ 


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1 


a/c 


THE  LIFE 

OF 

CHAUNGEY  GILES 


??* 


JHE  LIFE 

OF 

CHAUNCEY   GILES 

AS  TOLD  IN  HIS  DIARY  AND 
CORRESPONDENCE    . 

Compiled  and  Edited  by  his  Daughter 
CARRIE  GILES  CARTER 


The  steps  of  a  pood  man  are  ordered 
by  the  Lord:  and  he  delightcth  in  his 
way. 

Though  he  fall  he  shall  not  be  utterly 
cast  down  :  for  the  Lord  upholdeth 
him  with  his  hand. 

Psalm  37:  23,  2!i 


BOSTON,  MASS. 

MASSACHUSETTS  NEW-CIIURCH  UMON 

1 34  Bowuoi.N  Street 

1920 


rA^ 


THE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS,    CAMBRIDGE,    U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE 

T 

i  HE  one  essential  to  the  achievement  of  success  in  the  workmanship 
of  this  biography  to  which  the  editor  can  lay  claim  is  her  deep  affec- 
tion for  its  subject. 

Experiences  and  materials  gradually  came  into  her  life,  and  at  length 
germinated  in  the  determination  to  bring  a  knowledge  of  her  father's 
character  as  clearly  as  possible  before  those  who  already  know  him, 
and  to  others  who  know  him  not. 

Friends  both  at  home  and  abroad  have  been  very  helpful  in  lending 
letters  which  diey  have  cherished  for  years.  Those  who  could  furnish 
information  have  done  so  with  a  kindness  that  is  much  appreciated; 
others  whose  advice  has  been  sought  in  times  of  indecision,  have  given 
it  with  a  cordial  sympathy  which  was  in  itself  very  inspiring. 

Mr.  Giles's  diary  and  letters  are  in  themselves  a  fairly  complete 
biography. 

Gleanings  from  the  "  Giles  Memorial "  and  the  "  Groton-Avery 
Clan,"  in  addition  to  information  from  older  relatives,  have  furnished 
the  genealogical  data. 

For  the  portions  relating  to  Church  History,  "  Tlie  Early  History  of 
the  New  Church  in  the  Western  States  and  Canada,"  by  Rev.  G.  M. 
Field;  Rev.  B.  F.  Barrett's  "Autobiography";  Odhner's  "Annals  of 
the  New  Church";  Hindmarsh's  "Rise  and  Progress  of  the  New  Jeru- 
salem Church  in  England,  America  and  Other  Parts";  the  "Outline 
History  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Church  of  Cincinnati":  a  similar  brief 
history  of  llie  New  York  Society;  Convention  Journals,  and  numer- 
ous articles  in  the  New  Church  Messenger  have  contributed  valuable 
material. 

From  the  Rev.  William  L.  Worcester's  "  Biographical  Sketch ""  die 
editor  has  also  drawn  for  items  not  obtainable  elsewhere. 

F'or  each  and  ever)'  one  of  these  helps  the  deepest  gratitude  is  felt, 
and  it  is  with  heartfelt  pleasure  diat  the  thanks  due  to  all  are  given. 

Carrie  Giles  Carter. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  ■  Page 

I   Ancestry  and  Early  Life 1 

II  Wanderings  Through  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  24 

III  Life  at  Hamilton 60 

IV  Lebanon  and  Yellow  Springs 83 

V    POMEROY Ill 

VI    New  Church  in  the  Middle  West 141 

VII   Cincinnati  Pastorate,  1852-1862 156 

VIII   Cincinnati  Pastorate,  1862-1864 195 

IX  The  New  York  Society — Introductory 217 

X  New  York  Pastorate,  1864-1870 224 

XI   New  York  Pastorate,  1870-1874 240 

XII   New  York  Pastorate,  1875-1877 256 

XIII  Philadelphia:  an   Introductory  Chapter    ....  289 

XIV  Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1878-August,  1879    .    .    .  293 
XV  Philadelphia  Pastorate,  August,  1879-September, 

1880 323 

XVI    Philadelphia  Pastor.4TE,  1881-1886 344 

XVII    Philadelphia  Pastor.\te,  1887-1889 380 

XVIII   Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1890-1891 416 

XIX   Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1892-1893 444 

XX  Comments  of  Contemporaries 462 

XXI  Contributions  to  New  Church  Literature  ....  468 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Chauncey  Giles Frontispiece 

Facing  page 

Birthplace  in  East  Charlemont,  Mass 3 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  about  1842 64 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  about  1857 166 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  about  1873 247 

Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  Philadelphia 344 

The  Study  at  3502  Hamilton  St.,  Philadelphia 348 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  about  1883 352 


c 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

CHAPTER    I 
Ancestry  and  Early  Life 


HAUNCEY  Giles  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Almira  Avery  Giles. 
He  was  born  in  East  Charlemont,  Massachusetts,  on  May  11,  1813. 

Holmes  has  said,  "  To  know  one's  character  truly,  one  must  know 
his  ancestry  for  two  hundred  years."  It  is  not  difficult  in  the  case  of 
Chauncey  Giles  to  leani  of  his  forbears  for  diat  period,  but  as  the 
records  are  simply  the  dry  statistics  of  genealogy  one  does  not  gain 
from  them  a  deep  insight  into  family  characteristics. 

Edward  Giles  of  Salem  was  tlie  founder  of  the  family  in  this  country. 
He  received  land  given  as  one  of  the  Grants  at  Large  to  one  hundred 
or  more  of  the  original  settlers  of  Salem.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
First  Church,  diat  interesting  little  structure  which  the  Essex  Institute 
has  preserved  in  the  rear  of  Newman  Hall;  and  was  admitted  a  free- 
man of  the  Colony  in  1634.  The  very  name  of  Puritan  indicates  a 
deeply  religious  spirit,  but  on  neither  parent's  side  is  there  in  tlie  direct 
line  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  a  single  clergyman  in  the  family. 

As  was  natural  to  dwellers  near  the  coast  many  of  the  Giles  family 
were  seafaring  men;  many  of  them  served  in  the  Revolution.  There 
was  a  Giles  who  crossed  the  Delaware  with  Washington,  who  was  pres- 
ent at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  and  wiio  endured  the  terrible  winter 
at  Valley  Forge.  His  brother  was  eidier  in  the  military  or  naval  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Tlie  father  of  these  brothers  fought  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
died  suddenly  from  exhaustion  the  day  after,  while  trying  on  some 
new  clothes  in  a  tailor's  shop. 

There  was  another  Giles  who  suffered  numerous  hardships  by  land 
and  sea  in  both  the  military  and  naval  service  of  his  country.  This 
Giles,  after  surviving  all  the  |)erils  of  war,  was  accidentally  drowned 
in  his  own  well.  He  was  on  board  the  Alliance  when  that  ship  brought 
the  Treaty  of  Peace  to  the  United  States  after  the  Revolution. 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

There  was  a  Giles  in  the  artillery  company  which  at  Bunker  Hill 
brought  away  the  only  field  piece  which  was  saved  out  of  six  taken  to 
the  battle  ground. 

But  not  all  the  Gileses  were  thus  warlike.  The  record  of  the  years 
is  of  a  plain  people,  industrious,  engaged  in  various  trades;  brick 
manufacturers,  carpenters,  cabinetmakers,  sailmakers,  coopers,  sea- 
men, some  of  tliem  captains  of  tlieir  own  vessels,  farmers,  etc.,  none  of 
them  with  money-making  ability.  Frequent  mention  is  made  of  their 
piety,  but  no  clergyman  appears  until  tlie  sixth  generation,  though 
several  members  married  daughters  of  clergymen.  One  of  the  Giles 
family  was  an  early  cotton  spinner  of  this  country.  He  invented  the 
circular  saw,  imaware  of  the  fact  that  some  one  in  England  had  fore- 
stalled him  by  six  or  seven  years.  They  were  respected  members  of 
the  community  and,  judging  from  old  letters  handed  down,  were  people 
of  culture  and  refinement. 

There  is  a  coat-of-arms  in  the  possession  of  some  of  the  descendants 
which  was  brought  over  by  the  emigrant  ancestor.  Its  chief  value  to 
members  of  the  family  is  its  indication  that  the  English  forbears  were 
of  good  standing  in  the  mother  country. 

Of  the  Averys,  the  maternal  line,  there  are  many  records  of  patriotic 
service.  An  irreverent  descendant  once  observed,  ""  If  all  accounts 
were  true,  the  Averys  were  either  very  great  men  or  great  liars  in  the 
old  days."  The  emigrant  ancestor  is  Christopher  Avery,  who  with  his 
son  James  came  to  this  country  when  well  advanced  in  years,  about 
1632.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Boston,  but  later  moved  to  New  London, 
Connecticut.  In  all  the  early  history  of  New  London  the  son,  Captain 
James  Avery,  figures  most  conspicuously  both  in  civil  and  military 
affairs.  He  was  not  only  a  noted  Indian  fighter  but  had  great  influence 
with  the  friendly  Indians.  He  was  second  in  command  to  Captain  John 
Winthrop;  prominent  also  in  civil  affairs,  he  was  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  County  Court,  a  selectman  for  twenty-three  years,  and  founder  of 
the  First  Church  of  New  London.  In  1636  he  built  the  homestead 
known  as  the  "  Hive  of  the  Averys."  For  more  than  two  hundred  years, 
until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  this  house  was  occupied  by  an  Avery. 
Upon  its  site  is  erected  by  the  Avery  Memorial  Association  a  granite 
shaft  surmounted  by  a  bronze  bust  of  the  foimder  of  the  family.  He  is 
represented  as  a  typical  Puritan. 

James,  the  son  of  the  founder,  followed  in  his  father's  footsteps  both 
in  civil  and  military  affairs.  He  had  twelve  children,  and  at  his  death 
there  were  sixty-five  of  his  descendants  who   attended   his  funeral. 

-'^  2  ^~ 


p^' 


I'.lltTllFLACE    OF   CHAINCEY    GILES    IN 

EAST  <:ii  \i;  i.KMoN  r.  mass. 

Harnr  oi  bis  ^r<inill(tthfr.  jmiiilhim  Avery 


ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY   LIFE 

Numerous  Averys  were  actively  engaged  in  the  Revolutionary  War; 
many  fell  in  the  massacre  of  Fort  Griswold,  and  it  was  to  the  house  of 
an  Avery  that  the  wounded  were  taken  after  the  hattle.  One  who  served 
in  the  navy  was  captured  and  forced  to  serve  on  a  British  man-of-war. 
He  with  others  petitioned  to  be  placed  in  a  prison  ship,  preferring  con- 
finement to  forced  service  against  his  country.  There  was  a  Colonel 
Avery  who  fought  a  duel  with  Andrew  Jackson.  Jackson  fired  first  and 
missed.  The  Colonel  fired  in  the  air  and  then  shook  hands  with  his 
erstwhile  foe. 

The  records  give  many  tales  of  heroic  devotion  to  their  country. 
One  Avery  was  branded  with  hot  wires  and  his  wife  threatened  with 
death  when  they  refused  to  tell  where  money  for  the  Continental  Army 
was  hidden.  They  suffered,  too,  as  did  many  of  our  forefathers,  from 
the  Indians.  The  son  of  Oliver  Avery,  who  in  1780  built  a  house  which 
is  still  standing  in  Charlemont,  Massachusetts,  had  a  son  carried  to 
Canada  by  the  Indians.  His  wife  and  baby  girl  hid  in  a  hollow  log 
and  so  escaped. 

My  father's  grandfather,  Jonatlian  Avery,  joined  the  Revolutionary 
Army  as  a  minuteman,  and  served  in  the  war  until  he  was  made  lame 
as  the  result  of  a  bullet  wound  in  the  leg.  He  was  not  only  a  brave 
soldier  but  a  man  of  quick  wit  and  ready  humor.  He  was  an  orderly 
sergeant.  At  the  battle  of  Long  Island  he  was  detailed  for  difficult  and 
dangerous  scout  duty,  with  the  command  of  a  small  company  of  men. 
Like  many  another  soldier  of  the  Revolution  he  had  become  ragged  in 
the  service.  His  captain,  a  very  pious  man,  had  given  him  a  pair  of  his 
old  trousers.  Wlien  Jonathan  saw  that  his  men  demurred  at  the  dangers 
before  them  he  said,  "  Come  on.  Boys!  Just  think  of  the  prayers  which 
have  been  offered  up  in  these  old  trousers."  The  laugh  that  followed 
gave  tlie  men  new  courage  and  the  difficult  undertaking  was  success- 
fully accomplished. 

About  ten  years  after  the  close  of  the  war  Jonathan  moved  with  his 
wife  and  seven  children  from  Enfield,  Connecticut,  to  East  Charlemont, 
Massachusetts.  His  wife,  Pamelia  Fox,  was  of  Tory  stock,  and  for 
many  years  her  father  opposed  her  marriage  to  the  patriot  soldier 
Jonathan.  When  he  did  yield,  he  did  so  gracefully,  as  he  afterwards 
built  for  diem  a  fine  Colonial  house  in  East  Charlemont,  their  home  for 
many  years.  Here  Jonathan  pursued  his  trade  of  hatter,  and  here  his 
wife,  of  stern  Puritanical  character,  reared  her  large  family  (four  were 
added  to  the  flock  at  Charlemont)  in  the  rigidly  pious  observances  of 
the  day. 

-<i  3  )§.•- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Jonatliaii  died  at  the  good  old  age  of  ninety-two  of  no  disease.  He 
simply  fell  asleep  to  wake  on  earth  no  more,  as  he  sat  in  his  chair. 
His  wife  survived  him  six  years. 

Four  generations  of  the  Giles  family  lived  in  Salem;  Edward  of  the 
fifth  generation  settled  in  Medford.  Meeting  with  business  reverses  he 
removed  lo  Providence.  He  afterwards  went  to  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
and  at  lengdi  found  his  way  to  Cliarlemont  and  settled  tliere.  He  had 
six  children:  four  daughters  and  two  sons,  —  John,  who  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, and  Edward,  wlio  lived  in  Charlemont.  Poverty  seems  to 
have  been  the  lot  of  the  Giles  family,  and  that  of  Edward  was  no  excep- 
tion. An  interesting  story  illustrative  of  the  customs  of  the  day  is  told 
of  him  in  this  connection.  There  lived  in  this  vicinity  a  Tory  clergyman 
who,  as  was  usual  in  these  times,  received  at  least  a  portion  of  his 
salary  by  levying  contributions  on  the  members  of  his  congregation. 
Edward  Giles  had  no  money  to  meet  the  parson's  demands  and  frankly 
said  he  was  too  poor  to  contribute.  "  No  matter  for  the  money,  I  can 
take  your  cow,"  said  the  minister.  "  But  I  need  the  cow  to  furnish 
milk  for  my  large  family."  "That's  of  no  consequence,"  said  the 
parson;  "if  worse  comes  to  worst  you  can  call  on  the  town  for  help." 
This  was  cold  comfort  for  Mr.  Giles,  but  he  was  obliged  to  submit. 
Not  long  afterwards  he  was  driving  along  by  the  Deerfield  River,  which 
was  then  much  swollen  with  recent  rains.  As  he  approached  the  ford 
he  descried  a  man  and  horse  floundering  about  in  the  water.  "Help! 
Help!  "  cried  the  man.  "  Who  are  you?  "  asked  Mr.  Giles.  "  Parson 
Leavitt,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  better  call  on  the  town  for  help,"  said 
Mr.  Giles  as  he  drove  away,  leaving  the  poor  man  to  struggle  out  as 
best  he  could.  The  clergyman  gained  the  shore  and  lived  for  many 
years  an  object  of  dislike  to  all  who  knew  him.  So  obnoxious  did  he 
become  to  the  community  that  at  length  they  actually  changed  the 
boimdary  line  of  their  township  so  that  the  parson's  house  would  come 
in  the  neighboring  village  of  Heath. 

From  old  family  letters  I  gather  that  this  Edward  Giles  commanded 
the  love  and  respect  of  his  children.  They  wrote  to  him  frequently,  a 
daughter  Margaret  oftener  than  the  others.  These  letters,  written  one 
hmidred  years  ago,  are  simple  homely  chronicles  of  a  New  England 
woman  of  "faculty"  who  earned  her  living  by  going  from  house  to 
house  spinning  and  weaving,  as  she  was  needed.  Interspersed  with  the 
daily  events  were  pious  remarks  which  give  one  a  whiff  of  die  religious 
atmosphere  breatlied  by  the  common  people  of  the  day. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  a  letterwritten  after  thedeath  of  a  little  brother: 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

Permit  me,  my  aged  Father,  to  address  you  on  this  all-important 
subject.  Has  not  God  called  upon  you  and  me  twice  and  thrice,  yea, 
not  only  so,  but  thrice  in  die  most  solemn  manner,  by  taking  the  nearest 
and  dearest  friends  from  us?  "  Be  ye  also  ready:  for  in  such  an  hour 
as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of  man  cometh,"  and  yet  ye  are  in  the  way  of 
sinners  is  the  record  of  one  of  old.  Oh,  how  it  becomes  us  who  have 
named  the  name  of  Christ  to  live  as  becometh  the  disciples  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus!  Oh,  what  would  I  give  if  I  might  recall  the 
time  that  I  have  spent  pursuing  the  vanities  of  this  transitory  world! 
Tongue  cannot  express  nor  my  poor  pen  describe  the  feeling  of  my 
heart  on  account  of  my  backslidden  state. 

The  Lord  is  pouring  out  His  spirit  here  in  some  measure.  We 
humbly  hope  and  trust  there  have  been  three  converted  Backsliders 
returning. 

From  Hartford  she  writes,  December  21,  1818,  on  resuming  her  pen 
after  an  illness  of  tliree  months : 

I  sometimes  feel  as  though  my  lot  were  hard,  but  when  I  take  a 
view  of  the  goodness  of  God  and  what  He  has  suffered  for  guilty 
man,  and  the  mercies  I  am  surrounded  with,  I  know  that  I  have  the 
greatest  reason  to  Bless  Him  from  whence  these  Blessings  flow.  This 
life  is  short  and  attended  witli  ten  thousand  pains  and  troubles  and 
as  many  mercies.  But  oh,  how  apt  we  are  to  complain!  I  feel  like 
a  poor  unworthy  Creature  not  deserving  the  least  mercy  or  favor  from 
God.  Death,  that  great  tyrant,  is  calling  one  after  another  and  we 
are  going  off  the  stage  as  fast  as  Time  can  carry  us,  and  it  \vill  be 
soon  said  of  us  that  we  are  no  more;  but  if  we  come  to  the  grave  like 
a  shock  of  com  that  is  fully  ripe,  it  will  be  a  happy  exchange.  I  hope 
these  unconnected  lines  will  find  you  and  yours  in  the  enjoyment  of 
every  blessing,  that  your  souls  and  bodies  are  devoted  to  God,  for  this 
is  our  reasonable  service. 

Edward  Giles  had  a  brother  John  who  moved  to  Sharon,  Connecticut. 
His  life  lliere  was  one  of  poverty,  illness,  and  hardship. 

Here  are  portions  of  two  letters  from  Susannah  and  Mary,  both  sis- 
ters of  Edward,  to  their  brother  John : 

-4  5  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

It  appears  to  me  that  time  is  short  and  eternal  things  lie  with 
weight  on  my  mind.  Do  let  us  give  all  diligence  to  make  our  calling 
and  election  sure.  The  promises  of  God  of  late  have  been  made 
precious  to  my  soul. 

On  September  1,  1812,  Mary  writes: 

Dear  Mother  is  yet  alive  and  the  disappointment  of  your  not  coming 
is  beyond  description.  .  .  .  You  ought  to  know  her  situation  and 
try  to  comfort  her  in  this  hour  of  distress  and  not  to  let  anything  but 
ill  health  hinder  your  coming.  No  tongue  can  describe  the  distress  of 
body  and  mind  she  has  gone  through,  but  sometimes  she  calls  upon  her 
soul  and  every  creature  to  praise  God.  One  time  when  she  viewed 
herself  upon  the  verge  of  eternity  she  charged  me  to  enjoin  it  upon 
you  and  your  wife,  if  you  had  not  made  your  peace  with  God  through 
Christ  not  to  put  it  off  until  a  dying  bed.  I  believe  she  will  arrive  safe 
at  the  mansions  of  Eternal  Rest  whenever  God  is  pleased  to  take  her 
away.  Dear  Brother  and  Sister,  may  we  follow  her  as  far  as  she  fol- 
lowed Christ  is  the  prayer  of  your  affectionate  sister, 

Mary  Nash. 

If  you  come  do  bring  some  Rice,  there  is  none  to  be  had  about  here. 

John  Giles,  a  son  of  Edward,  and  the  fadier  of  Chauncey,  was  a  man 
of  brilliant  parts,  but  lacking  in  the  ability  to  make  his  mental  equip- 
ments IcU  in  the  achievement  of  material  success.  In  the  days  of  the 
old  Latin  grammar  he  memorized  that  book  with  all  its  rules,  cases,  and 
conjugations  in  seven  days.  He  studied  medicine,  but  because  of  ill 
health  and  other  reasons  never  practised.  He  taught  in  tlie  little  country 
schoolhouse  for  many  years.  When  he  first  assumed  his  duties  he 
said: 

Pope  says,  "Order  is  Heaven's  first  law,"  and  order  I  mean  to 
maintain  in  this  school. 

He  was  a  man  who  was  extremely  sensitive  to  ridicule,  and  while 
conscious  of  his  really  fine  mental  abilities  was  cruelly  alive  to  his 
failure  to  make  them  of  practical  use.     The  following  letter,  written 

-4.  6  ^'- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

a  few  months  after  his  marriage  to  Almira  Avery,  shows  all  these  char- 
acteristics. He  had  gone  to  New  York  to  try  to  establish  a  successful 
school.    The  letter  gives  his  unfortunate  experiences. 

Sunday  Morning,  New  York,  November  19,  1812. 
Dear  Father: 

Ere  you  receive  this  your  wandering  son  will  be,  if  nothing  happens 
more  than  he  now  knows  of,  more  than  three  hundred  miles  from  New 
York.     You  probably  desire  to  know  the  cause  of  this  sudden  change. 

When  I  arrived  here  I  imagined,  and  so  did  James,  that  there  was 
a  good  chance  for  me  to  obtain  twenty-five  dollars  per  month  clear  of 
expenses.  Upon  the  prospect  of  that,  I  purchased  the  furniture  of 
a  schoolroom  at  twenty-five  dollars,  hired  at  fifty  dollars  per  annum 
and  bought  wood  and  every  other  article  necessary  to  begin  business. 
I  have  now  been  here  fourteen  days  upon  the  expense  of  nearly  six 
dollars  per  week  and  have  obtained  only  two  scholars  at  the  small 
rate  of  two  dollars  per  quarter.  This  would  not,  even  if  I  had  a  large 
school,  support  me.  It  is  here  as  it  is  in  the  coimtry  witli  regard  to 
teachers;  one  there,  you  know,  who  only  asks  eight  dollars  is  employed 
in  preference  to  one  who  asks  and  will  earn  twenty  dollars  per  month. 

To  stay  here  at  the  expense  of  fifty  dollars,  to  wait  a  favorable 
chance  to  get  into  business,  is  in  my  opinion  inadvisable.  The  uncer- 
tainty attending  it  would  be  great,  and  even  if  I  were  sure  of  a  good 
start  it  would  take  me  three  months  and  more  to  be  as  well  off  as  I 
was  when  I  came  here.  Having  naturally  considered  all  these  disad- 
vantages, I  have  concluded  to  go  to  Utica. 

Elias  Joiner  is  now  in  New  York  and  has  been  for  a  week  past.  I 
have  seen  him  and  conversed  with  him.  He  says  there  is  a  good  chance 
for  me  there.  He  has  risen  from  the  very  gulf  of  poverty  to  a  hand- 
some living.  Perhaps  I  might  do  the  same  if  it  were  not  for  the  ill 
fortune  which  you  know  is  a  constant  attendant  upon  our  family. 

Shakespeare  says: 

There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men 

Which  taken  al  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune; 

Omitted,  all  the  voya{.'e  of  their  life 

Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries. 

-••§(7)5..- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Whether  I  have  taken  the  tide  at  the  ebb  or  flood  remains  yet  in  the 
womb  of  futurity.  Now,  like  a  dying  sinner,  I  am  convinced  when  too 
late  diat  it  would  have  been  better  for  my  purse  to  have  stayed  at 
Heath.  But  it  is  too  late  to  return.  It  would  certainly  be  saying  I 
could  not  live  in  any  other  part  of  the  world  than  Charlemont.  I  be- 
lieve I  can,  therefore  I  have  no  idea  of  returning  until  I  know  for  a 
certainty  that  I  cannot.    Can  I  bear  their  ridicule?    If  I  can,  I  will  not. 

My  health  for  a  week  past  has  been  very  poor,  so  that  I  was  but  just 
able  to  keep  about,  but  got  bled,  since  when  I  am  much  belter. 

It  is  with  regret  that  I  inform  you  of  my  unhappy  fortune,  but  never 
mind,  it  may  be  better;  if  it  is  not  we  know  how  to  bear  it  with  that 
dignity  and  fortitude  which  becomes  us  as  men. 

An  old  proverb  says,  "  It  is  never  darker  than  just  before  day,"  but 
perhaps  I  am  not  within  ten  years  of  broad  daylight.  Whether  I  am 
or  not  I  shall  not  trouble  myself  about  it,  or  not  but  little.  You  will, 
I  hope,  keep  this  letter  a  secret  "  lest  the  wicked  rejoice  and  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  uncircumcised  triumph." 

Let  no  one  know  where  I  am  or  what  I  am  about,  nor  that  1  have 
left  New  York.  When  I  arrive  at  Utica  or  any  other  place  where 
I  find  business  I  will  write  again.    Give  my  love  to  all  inquiring  friends. 

With  sentiments  of  respect  and  esteem,  I  remain  your  dutiful  and 
affectionate  son 

John  Giles. 

N.  B.  I  shall  leave  this  place  for  Albany  on  my  way  to  Utica, 
to-morrow. 

The  whole  mission  was  evidently  unsuccessful,  for  John  returned  to 
Charlemont  to  his  young  wife,  and  for  some  time  they  lived  with  her 
father's  family. 

Of  the  youth  of  Almira  Avery  I  know  but  little.  At  the  time  of  her 
wedding  she  and  her  bridegroom  were  considered  the  handsomest 
couple  in  Franklin  County.  The  rearing  of  a  large  family  with  the 
struggle  against  poverty  must  have  filled  her  life  with  the  constant 
necessity  for  fortitude.  She  was  of  a  very  affectionate  disposition,  and 
the  mental  and  executive  ability  of  many  of  her  children  testify  to  a 
good  home  training.    In  her  old  age  she  lived  with  one  of  her  married 

-4  8  >'- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

daughters  in  Decatur,  Illinois.  Her  grandchildren  evidently  loved 
and  admired  her,  and  always  spoke  of  her  remarkable  efficiency  and 
industry  even  when  she  was  far  advanced  in  years.  She  died  in  May, 
1884,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two,  from  the  effects  of  a  fall  which  broke 
her  hip. 

That  there  were  gleams  of  sunshine  through  the  atmosphere  of  Puri- 
tanical gloom  breathed  by  my  father  in  his  boyhood  is  told  in  his  own 
words  in  a  lecture  delivered  February  26,  1886,  on  "The  Good  Old 
Times  in  New  England."  As  it  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the  life  of  the 
day  and  will  help  us  with  the  foregoing  letters  to  understand  the  sur- 
roundings of  his  early  life,  I  quote  it  with  but  few  omissions. 

The  old  times!  The  good  old  times,  when  all  the  boys  were  good, 
except  the  bad  ones,  when  all  the  girls  were  beautiful  except  the  homely 
ones,  when  all  the  old  people  were  saints  except  the  sinners.  Then 
they  had  baked  beans  and  pumpkin  pie  every  Sunday,  and  bread  and 
milk  for  supper  every  day  in  the  week,  if  there  were  nothing  better. 
The  good  old  times!  when  the  boys  after  working  aU  day  had  the  fun 
of  roaming  over  the  hills  to  find  the  cows;  when  the  good  girls  knit 
stockings  for  themselves  and  their  brothers,  and  learned  embroidery 
by  darning  the  holes  in  the  heels  and  toes;  when  the  young  ladies 
amused  themselves  by  spinning  wool,  and  making  butter  and  cheese. 
They  helped  their  mothers  wash  clothes  and  dishes,  they  compounded 
johnny-cake  and  doughnuts  and  made  themselves  useful  and  lovely 
in  many  ways. 

Then  the  young  men  chopped  wood,  planted  and  dug  potatoes, 
washed  sheep,  made  cider,  mowed  and  plowed,  and  dug  in  the  hard 
soil  of  New  England. 

In  these  good  old  times  the  boys  and  girls,  the  young  and  the  old, 
rested  every  Sabbath,  which  commenced  at  sundown  Saturday  night. 
The  chores  were  all  done,  the  hoe  and  axe  and  spinning  wheel  put  away 
in  their  places.  The  bright  smiles  and  the  naughty  jokes  were  laid 
aside  until  Monday  and  the  solemn  Sabbath  look  and  the  quiet  Sab- 
bath tone  took  their  places. 

After  a  bath  in  a  wooden  pail  or  a  tin  wash  basin,  both  young  and 
old,  weary  with  six  days'  labor,  retired  and  began  the  Sabbath  rest. 

In  the  morning,  after  the  necessary  daily  "  chores,"  the  family  pre- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY    GILES 

pared  for  "  meelin'."  Faces  shone  with  soap  and  water  and  the  rough 
hair  was  made  smooth  with  tallow.  The  shoes  were  greased  and  the 
best  Sunday  clothes  were  donned.  These  clothes  were  usually  made 
by  their  motlicr  or  a  useful  aunt,  who  always  cut  them  large  enough 
to  fit,  especially  the  trousers. 

After  breakfast  the  whole  family  set  out  for  the  meeting  house,  a 
bamlike  structure  standing  on  the  top  of  a  hill.  The  rich  people 
brought  out  the  old  horse  which  had  been  plowing  all  the  week,  and 
harnessed  him  to  the  wagon  which  had  done  service  in  carrying  corn 
and  rye  to  the  gristmill,  or  i)otatoes  to  the  cellar.  It  was  soon  loaded 
with  old  and  young  dressed  in  their  bravest. 

How  sanctimonious  and  saintly  the  father  and  mother  were!  How 
angelic  the  girls!  The  poor  and  the  boys  had  to  walk.  They  (the  boys, 
I  mean)  whiled  away  the  time  in  telling  about  the  woodchuck  they  had 
caught  or  the  nuts  they  had  gathered,  as  they  shied  a  stone  at  a  chip- 
munk with  a  jolly  laugh  at  the  hit  or  miss  —  if  no  wagon  were  in  sight. 

Then  came  the  meeting:  the  piping  choir  (organs  and  wicked  stringed 
instruments  were  not  known  among  the  hills  in  those  days),  the  long 
prayer  in  which  every  one  was  remembered,  followed  by  a  hymn  and 
a  longer  sermon. 

When  the  service  was  ended,  did  we  go  home?  Oh,  no!  We  brought 
our  lunch  with  us.  In  pleasant  summer  weather  the  boys  went  out 
and  sat  under  the  trees.  When  it  rained  we  went  into  the  horse  sheds, 
climbed  into  the  wagons,  and  ate  our  doughnuts,  mince  pie,  and  apples, 
and  told  stories.  The  older  ones  sat  quietly  in  their  pews,  and  re- 
freshed themselves  with  news  and  lunch.  In  half  an  hour  or  so,  all 
gathered  for  Sunday  School  or  prayer  meeting. 

When  that  was  over  did  they  return  to  their  homes?  How  absurd 
the  question! 

Another  service  was  held.  Again  there  were  long  prayers  and  a 
sermon  to  match.  Then  the  wagons  were  backed  out  from  tlie  sheds 
and  came  rumbling  to  the  door,  and  with  their  solemn  load  the  horses 
quickened  their  homeward  jjace.  The  boys  trudged  back  on  foot,  oc- 
casionally stealing  a  ride  by  hanging  on  behind  some  wagon. 

On  Sunday  all  had  time  for  quiet  and  reflection.     It  was  wicked 

-4.  10  ^'- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

to  take  a  walk  unless  one  went  after  the  cows.  This  the  boys  were 
quite  willing  to  do  an  hour  before  the  time.  There  were  no  books  to 
read  but  the  Bible,  Pilgrim's  Progress,  and  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest,  and 
the  little  saints  had  had  rest  enough  for  one  day  without  going  to 
Baxter  for  more. 

Boys  and  girls  who  laughed  were  on  the  road  to  the  bad  place. 
They  watched  the  slow  descending  sun  and  sighed  and  wondered  what 
made  it  hang  so  long  in  the  sky. 

When  it  ceased  to  gild  the  tops  of  the  eastern  hills,  they  rose  like  a 
compressed  rubber  ball.  The  Sabbath,  the  day  of  rest  and  refreshment, 
was  over.  Light  broke  over  the  solemn  faces,  the  children  began  to 
romp,  mothers  or  sisters  brought  out  their  knitting  or  sewing,  the 
neighboring  boys  collected  and  in  the  summer  played  '"Hunt  the  grey 
fox,"  or  coasted  if  there  were  snow.    So  passed  and  ended  the  holyday. 

But  the  recreations  and  amusements  of  the  good  old  times  are  my 
special  theme  and  I  must  not  let  the  Sabbath  day's  rest  interfere  with 
it.  There  are,  however,  great  difficulties  in  describing  them,  one  of 
which  is,  there  were  none  according  to  modem  ideas. 

There  was  neither  theatre  nor  opera.  The  whole  community  would 
have  been  filled  with  holy  horror  at  the  idea  of  going  to  such  wicked 
places.  There  was  some  amusement  in  the  singing-school,  especially 
when  the  place  of  meeting  was  remote  from  the  homes  and  the  snow 
lay  deep  in  the  roads.  The  gayest  plow-horse  was  harnessed  to  the 
old  sleigh,  which  was  filled  with  stalwart  young  men  and  lovely  young 
women.  You  have  no  idea  how  lovely  they  were  in  the  eyes  of  the 
young  plowmen  and  wood-choppers.  They  were  tenderly  covered  with 
blankets  and  buffalo  robes  to  protect  them  from  the  biting  winter  air. 
The  old  horse  knew  that  this  was  no  Sunday  business,  or  common  affair 
of  taking  grist  to  the  mill.  He  entered  into  the  spirit  of  tlie  occasion 
and  took  his  precious  load  swiftly  over  the  creaking  snow.  An  occa- 
sional plunge  into  a  hollow  or  an  overturn  into  a  snowdrift  caused  no 
serious  harm.  It  was  rather  a  source  of  merriment  which  gave  the 
young  men  an  opportunity  to  show  their  gallantry  and  the  young 
women  graciously  to  receive  it. 

Safely  gathered  in  meeting  house  or  hall,  much  learned  instruction 

- -Hi!  Ills*-- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

was  given  about  whole  and  half  notes,  quavers,  and  semi-  and  demi- 
quavers.  There  was  a  short  practice  of  do,  re,  me,  fa,  and  then  came 
the  real  work.  Old  Hundred  was  attacked  with  vigor  and  confidence 
for  more  than  the  hundredth  time,  and  its  amazing  difTiculties  were 
soon  overcome.  Then  came  Dundee,  and  Mear,  and  other  soul-stirring 
tunes.  After  a  satisfactory  disposal  of  long,  common,  and  short-metre 
tunes  some  simple  anthem  might  be  tried.  If  there  was  not  much  music 
in  their  voices,  there  was  plenty  in  their  hearts.  The  ride  home  was 
the  culmination  of  tlie  happy  event.  To  tlie  music  of  the  jingling  sleigh 
bells  were  added  strains  of  some  solemn  psalm  tune  or  a  snatch  of 
song  that  was  not  exactly  sacred,  with  a  merry  laugh  at  some  incident 
in  the  singing  or  mutual  glances  between  basso  and  soprano;  glances 
prophetic  of  future  harmonies  not  contained  in  the  psalmody.  How 
brightly  the  moon  shone!  How  the  cheeks  of  the  girls'  fair  faces 
glowed  under  the  keen  breath  of  the  frost !  Such  a  return  with  pleasant 
memories  in  their  hearts  and  rosy  fancies  of  what  might  be  in  the 
future  was  almost  as  romantic  and  charming  as  a  ride  home  in  the 
city,  hanging  on  a  strap  in  a  crowded  street  car. 

There  were  no  concerts  except  at  rare  intervals  at  the  close  of  the 
singing  school.  There  were  no  picture  galleries  to  visit,  no  tempting 
shop  windows.  When  the  girls  went  to  the  store  they  carried  the 
palm-leaf  hats  they  had  braided,  or  the  buttons  they  had  covered,  and 
exchanged  them  for  more  material  for  hats  and  buttons,  taking  the 
difference  in  sugar,  or  calico  for  a  new  dress,  with  a  bit  of  bright 
ribbon  to  glorify  it. 

There  were  no  magazines  to  beguile  the  weary  hours  with  story  or 
song,  no  novels  to  absorb  tlie  attention  and  transform  the  hard  and  un- 
attractive real  into  the  lovely  scenes  and  grand  achievements  of  the 
ideal.  There  were  no  daily  papers  or  any  periodical  literature  except 
a  small  weekly  paper  which  was  taken  by  only  a  few  people.  There 
was  notliing  adapted  to  children  and  yoimg  people.  There  were  no 
picnics,  no  excursions,  no  lectures  to  amuse  and  instruct.  Dancing 
was  generally  regarded  as  sinful.  There  might  be  a  ball  given  once 
a  year  at  some  tavern.  Here  the  unconverted  would  gather  from  far 
and  near  and  to  the  music  of  one  fiddle  would  dance  tlie  Virginia 

-4  12  }•>- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

Reel  and  other  country  dances  with  zeal  and  energy  if  not  with  grace. 
This  was  a  memorable  event  in  the  year's  history,  which  required  great 
preparation  and  much  discussion.  It  supplied  the  rustic  beaux  and 
belles  widi  an  interesting  theme  of  conversation  for  months  afterwards. 
By  common  sentiment  cards  were  sternly  forbidden.  Young  men  who 
would  indulge  in  such  dreadful  wickedness  were  on  the  broad  way 
that  led  to  gambling  and  eternal  fire.  There  were  but  few  quiet,  house- 
hold games.  Fox  and  Geese,  and  checkers  were  the  most  common,  and 
were  regarded  as  an  innocent  way  of  wasting  time.  Indeed,  life  was  too 
stem  and  solemn  a  matter  to  be  trifled  away  in  mere  amusement. 
Religious  meetings  and  work  —  hard,  constant  work  —  were  regarded 
as  the  only  objects  worth  living  for. 

Still,  boys  were  boys  and  girls  were  girls  in  those  days  as  in  mod- 
em times.  There  was  about  as  much  unregenerate  human  nature  in 
them  as  now,  and  they  contrived  to  draw  much  amusement  from  most 
impromising  conditions. 

In  tlie  autumn  there  were  numerous  apple-paring  bees,  wlien  the 
young  people  met  to  pare  and  core  apples  for  the  winter's  apple-sauce, 
and  string  the  quarters  to  be  afterwards  hung  up  and  dried  for  the  sea- 
son's use.  It  was  long  before  machines  were  invented  for  this  purpose. 
The  fragrant  apples,  red,  green,  and  golden,  were  brought  forward  in 
great  baskets.  The  case  knives  were  well  sharpened  for  the  occasion. 
Every  girl  was  provided  with  a  large  bowl.  The  boys  were  content  to 
help  or  hinder  from  the  same  dish  and  the  girls  were  content  to  have 
them.  The  apples  whirled  under  their  nimble  fingers,  leaving  their 
red,  green,  or  yellow  coats  behind  them.  They  were  soon  quartered 
and  divested  of  their  seeds  and  cores  and  placed  in  a  common  re- 
ceptacle. From  this  they  were  taken  by  others  and  strung  upon  long 
stout  threads. 

Wliile  this  work  was  going  briskly  on  the  tongues  of  the  happy 
helpers  were  as  nimble  as  their  fingers.  Bright  jests  and  quick  rep- 
artee flew  from  lip  to  lip  and  the  room  echoed  with  innocent  laughter. 
Sometimes  when  the  apple  paring  was  long  and  unbroken  it  would  be 
whirled  three  times  round  the  head  and  flung  upon  the  floor.  It  was 
then  supposed  to  show  the  initial  of  the  favored  lass  or  lover. 

-4,  13  }§<"- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

So  the  work  and  the  joy  went  on  together  until  the  baskets  were 
emptied. 

Then  came  the  refreshments,  which  were  always  bountifully  pro- 
vided: mince,  apple,  and  pumpkin  pies  with  snowy  crust,  cheese  as 
soft  and  rich  as  pure  milk  can  produce,  nuts,  and  some  choice  variety 
of  apples;  cider,  tart,  spicy,  and  delicious.  Crisp  doughnuts  and  raisin 
cake,  good  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious,  were  not  wanting. 

Then  followed  the  return  home.  As  they  wended  their  ways  by 
winding  road  and  dusky  lane,  the  girls  were  protected  by  strong  hands 
and  doughty  hearts  from  the  wild  beasts  which  had  long  been  exter- 
minated; from  wandering  tramps  who  had  not  then  sprung  into  ex- 
istence, and  from  the  shadows  which  might  be  anything  their  lively 
fancies  could  imagine.  Through  all  these  dangers  they  safely  passed, 
with  the  pleasing  consciousness  of  having  helped  a  neighbor  and  en- 
joyed an  evening  of  innocent  pleasure. 

There  was  another  gathering  of  frequent  occurrence  in  which  work, 
play,  and  social  intercourse  were  combined.  In  that  cold  and  inhos- 
pitable climate  the  water  would  freeze  in  the  bedroom,  and  a  moist 
hand  would  stick  to  the  iron  handle  of  a  doorlatch.  Feather  beds  and 
abundant  covering  were  necessary.  Bedquilts  were  in  requisition  and 
quilting  them  was  a  slow  and  tedious  process.  So  the  neighbors  were 
invited  to  help,  and  quilting  parties  became  an  important  feature  in 
the  social  life  of  the  people. 

The  joined  patchwork  was  stretched  upon  a  frame.  Around  its  four 
sides  were  seated  as  many  ladies  as  could  work  conveniently.  They 
sewed  diligently,  making  diamonds  or  other  figures.  The  quilters 
sat  face  to  face,  and  their  tongues  were  free  while  their  hands  were 
occupied.  It  is  reported  —  falsely,  no  doubt,  for  were  not  our  mothers 
and  grandmothers  perfect  women?  but  there  is  a  tradition  which,  like 
many  myths,  has  passed  into  history  —  that  instead  of  confining  them- 
selves to  the  high  themes  of  philosophy  or  religion,  they  discussed  the 
affairs  of  the  neighborhood  and  retailed  a  large  amount  of  gossip; 
what  Mrs.  A.  said  and  Miss  B.  did,  who  were  sick  and  who  were  well, 
who  were  engaged  to  be  married,  etc.  The  minister  received  a  large 
share  of  both  praise  and  blame.     It  was  unanimously  agreed  that  his 

-^  14  ^'- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

last  sermon  was  very  severe  and  just  on  some  persons  who  were  not 
at  the  quilting,  and  it  was  hoped  they  would  profit  by  it. 

But  wliiio  the  neighbors  were  busy  with  tongues  and  needles,  there 
was  another  party  in  the  kitchen  preparing  delicacies  and  substanlials 
for  the  exhausted  gossips  when  they  should  have  finished  their  quilt  and 
settled  the  affairs  of  the  neighborhood. 

The  men,  young  and  old,  especially  the  young,  were  expected  to 
assist  in  this  part  of  the  performance,  and  they  did  it  with  right  good 
will. 

There  were  no  hired  caterers;  no  menial  foreigners  ruled  in  the 
kitchen.  Cooking  was  an  accomplishment,  and  it  was  as  much  the 
glorj'  of  a  young  woman  to  compound  savory  dishes  and  cook  them  to 
perfection  as  it  is  now  to  drum  on  the  piano  and  paint  porcelain. 

But  we  are  delaying  the  supper.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  was 
duly  appreciated  and  enlivened  with  bright  and  merry  thoughts.  There 
was  not  much  of  the  elegance  of  the  dancing  master  or  the  grace  of 
boarding-school  manners.  But  there  were  native  wit  and  kind  and 
generous  feeling.  There  was  an  unconscious  grace  which  came  from 
association  with  nature.  Sometimes  there  was  a  beauty  born  of  inno- 
cence and  a  quiet  dignity  that  even  when  dressed  in  homespun  com- 
manded respect. 

There  were  but  few  holidays.  The  two  which  stand  out  most  dis- 
tinctly in  my  mind  were  the  General  Muster  and  Thanksgiving  Day. 

The  General  Muster  was  the  gathering  of  all  the  men  of  a  county 
who  were  liable  to  military  duty,  for  the  inspection  of  their  uniforms 
and  implements  of  warfare. 

It  was  a  general  holiday.  For  weeks  before  the  eventful  day  tlie 
subject  was  the  theme  of  conversation  by  young  and  old,  male  and 
female.  The  men  brought  out  their  uniforms  from  the  chests  in  which 
tliey  had  reposed  for  a  year,  and  brushed  them.  The  old  flintlock 
musket  was  taken  down  from  the  hooks  upon  which  it  had  quietly  re- 
mained. It  was  burnished,  a  new  flint  was  inserted  in  tlie  lock,  and  the 
whole  weapon  made  ready  for  its  deadly  use.  The  horses  were  taken 
from  the  cart  and  plow,  covered  with  military  trappings,  and  as  much 
martial  spirit  was  infused  into  their  weary  limbs  as  possible.     Those 

-<i  15  ]s-- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

who  were  exempt  from  military  duty  volunteered  as  a  commissariat. 
They  thus  hoped  to  serve  their  country  while  at  the  same  time  they 
turned  an  honest  penny. 

A  vast  array  of  cakes  and  other  toothsome  edibles  was  prepared. 
There  were  barrels  of  cider,  flanked  sometimes  with  fire  water  in  the 
form  of  cider  brandy.  There  were  also  booths  for  the  sale  of  a  great 
variety  of  articles  for  ornament  and  use. 

I  shall  never  forget  how,  on  one  of  these  occasions,  a  boy  resisted 
the  solid  enchantments  of  gingerbread  and  the  attractions  of  delicious 
cider  and  spent  his  money  for  a  copy  of  Cowper's  Poems  and  of  Mil- 
ton's Paradise  Lost.  It  was  a  Paradise  Found  for  him,  and  he  spent 
many  a  long  winter's  evening  reading  them  over  and  over  again  by  the 
bright  firelight.  He  revelled  in  Cowper's  Task,  which  was  no  task  to 
him,  and  with  Milton  he  fought  the  battle  of  the  angels  and  mourned 
over  the  fall  of  man. 

When  the  eventful  day  arrived  all  the  roads  leading  to  the  place 
of  meeting  were  crowded  with  men,  women,  and  children,  in  wagons, 
on  horseback,  and  afoot,  wending  their  way  to  the  long  expected 
entertairmient. 

The  companies  of  soldiers  in  gay  uniforms  were  arranged  in  long 
lines,  their  muskets  shining  in  the  sun.  The  officers,  with  brilliant 
epaulets  and  majestic  hats,  were  rushing  madly  over  the  parade  ground 
delivering  orders.  The  artillery  and  cavalry  had  taken  positions  and 
were  going  through  their  evolutions.  The  drums  were  rolling  and  the 
fifes  screaming.  They  filled  the  air  with  martial  music  and  the  souls 
of  the  boys  with  martial  fire.  The  scene  was  flanked  with  crowds  of 
spectators:  young  men  with  their  sweethearts,  and  boys  with  their 
mouths  and  pockets  full  of  gingerbread  and  molasses  candy  who  rushed 
from  point  to  point  as  the  soldiers  changed  their  positions. 

When  the  inspection  of  arms  and  accoutrements  was  ended  and  the 
rank  and  file  had  gone  through  various  evolutions  they  were  arranged 
in  battle  array.  From  the  long  lines  of  infantry,  placed  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  each  other,  belched  forth  fire  and  smoke,  stunning  the  ear 
with  the  rattle  and  roar  of  their  fusillade.  The  cavalry  spurred  their 
steeds  into  furious  speed,  and  with  drawn  sabres  rushed  wildly  around 

-'<{  16  }•>- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

in  search  of  an  enemy.  The  artillery  thundered  at  some  imaginary 
foe,  advanced,  retreated,  and  blazed  away,  aiming  now  high,  now  low. 

The  stentorian  voice  of  some  general  could  occasionally  be  heard 
above  the  smoke  and  din  of  battle.  So  the  conflict  went  on  until  ammu- 
nition and  strengtli  were  exhausted.  It  was  sufficiently  realistic  to  stir 
the  blood  of  the  young  lads  who  had  never  met  any  fiercer  enemies 
than  hawks  and  woodchucks,  yet  sufficiently  safe  to  quiet  the  fears  of 
timid  maidens. 

The  day  was  a  memorable  one  in  the  monotonous  life  of  a  rural 
people. 

A  few  weeks  later  came  the  crowning  glory  of  the  year,  —  the  grand 
feast  of  Thanksgiving,  when  men,  women,  and  children  were  expected 
to  demonstrate  their  gratitude  for  past  favors  and  abundance  by  stuff- 
ing themselves  to  repletion. 

The  preparations  for  this  grand  feast  were  made  days  and  weeks 
before  its  advent  and  devolved  chiefly  upon  the  women.  The  finest 
turkeys  and  tenderest  chickens  were  selected  and  specially  fattened  for 
the  occasion.  Mince,  apple,  custard,  and  pumpkin  pies  were  provided 
in  sufficient  abundance  to  last  many  weeks.  There  were  delicious 
jellies  and  marmalades  and  quince  and  apple  sauce  by  the  barrel.  The 
choicest  cuts  of  beef  and  pork  had  been  selected  and  kept.  There  were 
no  markets  and  groceries  near  at  hand  from  which  the  essentials  for 
such  a  grand  occasion  could  be  supplied  at  a  moment's  notice.  It 
required  forethought  and  good  management  to  secure  the  needed  sup- 
plies. Boys  and  girls  were  asked  to  pare  apples  and  pumpkins,  to 
chop  mincemeat  for  tlie  pies,  to  provide  wood  for  the  fires,  and  to  run 
on  errands.  The  house  was  fragrant  with  the  odor  of  cloves,  cinnamon, 
and  other  spices.  Mother  and  daughters  moved  briskly  about  in  their 
white  aprons  with  their  sleeves  rolled  above  their  elbows,  or  stood 
seriously  considering  the  composition  of  a  pudding  or  a  sauce.  The 
brick  oven  was  kept  in  a  state  of  fervent  heat,  and  when  the  precious 
pies  and  puddings  were  entrusted  to  its  fiery  bosom,  its  contents  were 
carefully  watched  and  turned  about  to  insure  a  perfect  baking. 

The  morning  of  the  day  itself  was  devoted  to  worship.  From  all 
points  among  die  hills  the  people  in  tlicir  best  attire  with  reverent  faces 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

could  be  seen  wending  tlieir  way  to  the  meetinghouse.  The  service  was 
short,  and  it  would  be  but  natural  if  the  thoughts  of  many  a  good  house- 
wife should  wander  away  from  the  sermon  and  the  prayer  with  some 
concern  lest  the  turkey  which  was  roasting  on  a  spit  before  tlie  fire 
should  not  be  constantly  turned  and  so  be  burnt  on  one  side  and  raw 
on  the  other.  But  the  fears  were  generally  groundless,  for  every  one 
had  a  personal  interest  in  the  excellence  of  the  result. 

But  we  have  kept  you  too  long  from  the  dinner.  Everything  is  ready, 
and  we  will  sit  down  at  the  table  which  is  loaded  with  the  rich  bounties 
of  the  year.  The  white-haired  and  venerable  grandparents  have  the 
place  of  honor.  The  children  with  their  husbands  and  wives  and  their 
children,  sometimes  to  the  fourth  generation,  were  arranged  according 
to  age  or  convenience.  Thanks  are  rendered  to  the  bountiful  Giver, 
and  every  one  is  urged  to  do  justice  to  the  feast.  The  careworn  faces 
are  wreathed  with  smiles,  and  bits  of  the  past  year's  history  are  served 
with  the  viands.  Anecdotes  and  humorous  incidents  are  related  and 
bright  thoughts  fly  from  lip  to  lip.  The  affections  are  called  into  active 
play,  and  tliere  is  a  reunion  of  hearts,  a  feast  of  the  soul  as  well  as  of 
the  body. 

After  every  want  is  more  than  satisfied,  the  remnants  of  the  feast  are 
cleared  away  and  the  young  ones  engage  in  the  simple  games  of  the 
time. 

Sometimes,  if  they  were  not  too  pious  or  rigidly  orthodox,  there 
would  be  a  dance.  I  have  seen  a  boy  dance  in  the  same  set  with  his 
grandparents,  his  father,  mother,  uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins. 

Due  respect  is  paid  to  the  aged,  confidences  are  made,  advice  given 
and  received,  and  the  hearts  of  all  are  knit  more  firmly  together  and 
cheered  and  strengthened  for  the  coming  duties  and  struggles  of  life. 

In  the  good  old  times  there  were  but  few  of  the  conveniences  for 
travel  and  interchange  of  thought  and  life  which  we  now  enjoy.  The 
people  worked  hard  and  lived  simply.  Every  child  was  brought  up  to 
some  useful  work.  A  holiday  was  a  great  event.  It  stood  out  as  dis- 
tinctly from  the  common  routine  of  life  as  a  mountain  from  a  great 
plain. 

But  they  were  good  times  in  many  essentials.     The  people  were 

-4  18  ^•- 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

industrious,  frugal,  and  in  the  most  important  affairs  of  life  they  were 
intelligent.  If  they  did  not  read  as  much  as  we  do,  they  thought  the 
more.  They  did  not  depend  much  upon  others  to  do  their  thinking; 
they  were  more  self-reliant. 

Their  manners  were  frank  and  their  ways  direct.  Their  means  of 
social  culture  were  simple,  but  they  made  the  best  use  of  those  they 
possessed.  If  they  endured  many  hardships,  they  acquired  strength 
by  them.  So  in  the  struggle  for  life  they  gained  many  of  its  blessings 
and  learned  how  to  appreciate  them.  The  children  were  obedient  and 
respectful.  The  minister  and  doctor  were  regarded  with  awe  and  rev- 
erenced as  superior  beings.  I  well  remember  how  we  used  to  stand 
by  the  side  of  the  road  when  we  saw  them  coming,  and  with  bared  heads 
make  a  profound  bow  as  they  passed.  Our  children  have  learned 
that  professional  men  are  made  of  common  clay.  Perhaps  we  have 
not  improved  in  our  want  of  respect  and  reverence  for  age  and  worth. 

Such  were  the  ordinary  habits  of  the  rural  New  Englander  of  that 
day.  My  father's  lot  was  no  exception.  From  early  boyhood  his  life 
was  one  of  toil,  and  he  began  when  but  a  child  to  add  by  his  labors  to 
the  family  income.  "Doing  chores"  for  the  neighbors,  work  in  his 
grandfather's  brickyard,  chopping  wood,  haying,  etc.,  —  all  these  at 
one  time  or  another  formed  a  part  of  his  regular  life. 

The  first  slate  he  ever  had  was  obtained  with  the  money  earned  by 
chopping  a  cord  of  wood.  Previous  to  this,  under  his  father's  tuition, 
he  had  with  a  piece  of  charcoal  done  his  arithmetic  on  the  hearth  be- 
fore the  fire.  Soon  after  obtaining  his  first  knife  he  lost  it  on  the 
road.    Nothing  daunted,  he  dug  for  half  a  mile  until  he  found  it. 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost  and  Cowper's  Task  were  treasures  pur- 
chased at  General  Muster.  It  is  hard  for  us  with  our  many  books  and 
magazines  to  realize  the  deep  influence  which  such  books,  read  and 
pondered  over  and  over,  exert  upon  one  whose  sole  treasures  they  are. 

Another  incident  of  his  boyhood  to  which  father  often  referred  in 
after  life  as  an  instance  of  the  Lord's  leading  ihrough  apparent  trifles 
is  the  following:  He  was  sitting  out  of  doors  on  a  fallen  log  studying 
his  geography  lesson.  Tennessee  was  the  subject.  Something  in  the 
name  or  in  the  description  of  the  slate  appealed  to  his  childish  imagina- 
tion, and  he  then  and  there  resolved  at  some  future  time  to  visit  it. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  he  never  did,  but  in  his  many  wanderings  after 

-•4  19  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

he  left  college  there  was  always  the  thought  underneath  of  reaching 
Tennessee.  Each  step  he  took  in  this  direction  led  to  some  experi- 
ence which  paved  the  way  for  the  great  blessings  of  his  life,  —  his 
wife,  and  llie  New  Church. 

Even  when  a  little  boy  he  wished  to  become  a  minister,  and  delighted 
as  a  child  to  read  from  a  large  Bible;  the  story  of  Joseph  arranged  for 
children  had  a  special  charm.  By  diligence  and  making  the  most  of 
every  opportunity  he  managed  not  only  to  attend  the  Mt.  Anthony 
Academy  at  Bennington,  Vermont,  but  also  to  enter  Williams  College. 

At  the  former  place  his  Greek  teacher  stimulated  his  love  of  learn- 
ing and  taught  him  hoiv  to  study,  an  invaluable  lesson,  of  which  he 
often  spoke  with  gratitude. 

Once  when  at  home  for  vacation  his  father  asked  him  what  he  in- 
tended to  do  when  he  left  tlie  Academy,  at  the  same  time  indicating  that 
he  would  like  to  have  him  study  law.  "  If  I  do,"  said  Chauncey,  "  it 
must  be  the  law  of  God." 

It  is  said  of  him  as  a  young  man  that  "  when  he  was  engaged  in  study 
he  was  oblivious  of  everything  about  him." 

His  classmates  speak  of  him  as  "  more  than  an  average  scholar,  not 
brilliant,  perhaps,  but  studious,  accurate,  and  prompt.  He  was  a  good 
declaimer  and  in  the  debating  society  was  alert  and  one  of  the  best 
speakers.  He  was  strong  on  temperance  and  on  the  antislavery  question, 
which  was  much  discussed  in  those  days.  In  manner  he  was  rather  re- 
tiring, somewhat  shy,  friendly  with  all,  but  familiar  with  only  a  few." 

The  students  were  fond  of  debating  and  reciting  poetry.  They  used 
to  try  to  deepen  their  tones  in  speaking,  and  Father  thought  he  really 
effected  a  change  in  the  quality  of  his  voice  by  this  practice. 

One  day  in  a  debate  the  young  student  uttered  the  sentiment,  "  Gold 
is  but  dust,  and  avarice  the  serpent  which  eats  it."  The  young  men 
were  deeply  impressed  and  tried  in  vain  to  guess  the  author.  Wlien 
they  found  it  was  not  a  quotation  but  original  with  Mr.  Giles,  there  were 
many  prophecies  of  his  future  greatness. 

On  one  occasion  one  of  his  classmates,  a  tall  rather  awkward  young 
fellow,  began  to  recite  Addison's  Evening  Hymn: 

Soon  as  the  evening  shades  prevail. 

The  moon  takes  up  her  wondrous  tale  .  .  . 

As  he  declaimed  the  second  line  his  long  arms  reached  down  and  spread 
forth  his  coat  tails  as  an  appropriate  (?)  gesture.  It  is  needless  to  say 
he  was  not  allowed  to  proceed. 

-*•{  20  ^~ 


ANCESTRY   AND   EARLY   LIFE 

Of  his  life  at  Williams  College  I  know  but  little.  He  was  obliged 
to  pay  for  his  tuition  by  tutoring,  haying,  or  any  other  work  he  could 
find.    An  aunt  of  his  told  me  the  following  amusing  story: 

Once  at  haying  time  one  of  the  farmers  of  the  place  needed  extra 
help.  Father  applied  for  a  job.  His  student  life  did  not  give  him  the 
appearance  of  any  ability  in  outdoor  work,  so  the  farmer  said  to  him, 
"  You  do  not  look  as  if  you  could  mow."  "  Try  me  and  see,"  said 
Father.  Years  after,  when  he  returned  to  Williamstown  to  receive  an 
honorary  degree,  he  went  to  the  house  of  tliis  same  farmer,  who  still 
lived  in  the  old  place.  Ringing  the  doorbell  he  was  met  by  the  old 
gentleman  himself.  "  I  came  to  see  if  you  wanted  any  extra  hands 
with  your  hay."  "  Yes,  I  do,  but  you  don't  look  as  if  you  could  mow." 
"So  you  told  me  more  than  forty  years  ago,"  said  Father.  "Giles!  " 
exclaimed  die  farmer,  clasping  his  hand  with  pleasure. 

To  the  visitor  who  goes  to  Williamstown  now  and  sees  the  many  fine 
buildings,  the  beautiful  church,  the  gymnasium,  the  library,  the  fine 
dormitories  for  the  students,  etc.,  the  college  of  my  father's  day  would 
present  a  severe  contrast.  He  entered  college  in  1832  at  the  age  of 
nineteen. 

Of  the  period  ten  years  earlier  than  this,  Mark  Hopkins,  for  many 
years  president  of  the  College,  writes: 

In  1822  but  one  of  the  fourteen  college  buildings  on  the  ground  was 
standing.  That  was  the  old  West  College.  In  1823  the  college  owned 
but  two  houses:  die  president's  house,  that  stood  on  the  north  side  of  die 
main  street,  since  moved,  and  a  small  house  that  stood  where  the  chapel 
now  stands.  It  owned  no  land  except  about  three  acres  connected  with 
the  then  president's  house. 

The  rooms  of  the  students  were  plainly  and  scantily  furnished. 
There  was  not  a  carpet  in  eidier  building.  Partly  because  the  rooms 
contained  little  that  was  valuable,  and  partly  because  of  the  greater 
honesty  of  those  times,  nobody  thought  of  locking  his  door  when  he 
went  out.  Prayers  and  recitations  were  before  breakfast  in  die  morn- 
ing, and  in  the  winter  by  candlelight.  Commencement  was  in  Septem- 
ber, and  so  the  town  was  a  resort  for  the  students  in  the  summer,  and 
not  for  summer  visitors,  a  species  of  human  genus  not  then  developed. 
The  long  vacation  of  six  weeks  was  in  winter,  so  that  the  students,  who 
were  mostly  needy,  might  aid  themselves  by  teaching.     Coming  after 

-4  21  ^- 


THE    LIFE    OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

the  summer  work  of  the  farmers  was  finished.  Commencement  was  a 
great  day  for  the  whole  >-icinity.  The  procession  with  its  band  of 
music  was  formed  at  East  College,  and  passed  through  the  lower  hall 
of  West  College  to  the  church  on  the  hill.  It  was  long,  the  struggle  to 
enter  the  church  after  the  procession  was  in  was  fierce,  and  the  church 
was  crowded.  Back  of  the  church  a  multitude  was  gathered  about 
numerous  peddlers  and  there  were  all  sorts  of  shows. 

The  grounds  about  the  buildings  were  rough  and  uncared  for.  The 
students  burnt  only  wood,  and  during  the  autumn  and  winter  there 
were  numerous  woodpiles  in  the  college  yards.  These  the  students 
usually  sawed  and  carried  up  for  themselves.  In  the  spring  they  had 
a  chip-day  to  clear  away  the  chips  and  rubbish.  The  walk  between  the 
West  College  and  the  church  was  innocent  of  gravel,  and  as  the  mud 
was  fearful  the  students  had  each  year,  in  the  autumn,  a  gravel-day. 
Those  who  did  not  choose  to  work  paid  a  fine  that  went  to  procure 
teams.  The  soil  was  of  clay  and  in  the  spring  would  undulate  as  you 
walked.  Year  by  year  the  gravel  would  disappear,  and  it  is  only 
within  a  few  years  that  the  walks  have  become  thoroughly  compact. 
There  were  then  no  trees  about  the  buildings.  These  were  set  out  by 
the  students,  for  while  there  was  oftener  than  at  the  present  time  an 
outbreak  of  the  spirit  of  vandalism,  there  was  yet  a  large  element  of 
loyalty  to  the  College  and  of  desire  for  its  improvement. 

It  was  a  feature  of  that  day  that  water  for  the  students  was  brought 
in  pails  from  a  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  south  of  East  College,  they 
generally  bringing  it  themselves. 

Such  a  thing  as  a  gymnasium  had  not  been  thought  of.  There  were 
then  no  secret  societies.  The  only  one  known  in  any  of  the  colleges  was 
the  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  There  were  no  college  publications,  and  there 
was  no  baseball  as  that  is  now  knowTi.  A  form  of  baseball  was  some- 
times played,  but  the  common  games  were  wicket  and  two-old-cat. 

In  his  Junior  year  came  one  of  the  most  crushing  disappointments 
of  Mr.  Giles's  life,  ill  health,  which  necessitated  his  leaving  college. 

Trouble  with  his  eyes,  brought  on  by  over-study,  and  with  his  head, 
as  a  result,  perhaps,  of  getting  overheated  in  the  hayfield,  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  continue  his  studies.     He  never  entirely  recov- 


ANCESTRY   AND    EARLY   LIFE 

ered  from  the  trouble  with  his  head.  Besides  severe  pain,  he  heard 
constantly  a  roaring  or  buzzing  at  the  base  of  the  brain.  This  con- 
tinued with  more  or  less  rigor  all  his  life,  but  much  work  was  accom- 
plished in  spite  of  it. 

For  a  time  after  leaving  college  Mr.  Giles  taught  in  the  Academy 
at  Bennington. 

Here  he  was  beset  with  the  religious  doubts  from  which,  imtil  he 
found  the  New  Church,  he  suffered  such  agonies.  One  of  his  associates 
in  teaching  WTites:  '"He  was  struggling  with  the  hard  dogmas  of  the 
church  and  was  at  times  in  a  skeptical  mood  and  more  than  a  mood. 
He  was  very  conscientious  and  his  mental  sufferings  were  great,  and 
that  for  years." 

In  "  Why  I  am  a  New  Churchman"  Mr.  Giles  says: 

I  did  not  doubt  because  I  desired  to  do  so.  On  the  contrary,  I  clung 
to  every  point  of  the  old  faith  with  the  greatest  tenacit>-.  I  clung  like 
a  drowTiing  man  to  the  last  plank  imtil  I  was  torn  from  it  or  it  failed 
me,  and  I  sank  into  die  depths  of  despair.  I  have  no  language  that  is 
adequate  to  express  the  darkness,  horror,  and  agony  of  the  state  I  lived 
in,  if  it  could  be  called  living,  for  years.  One  hope  alone  sustained 
me:  I  did  not  doubt  the  existence,  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God. 
I  settled  down  to  the  duties  and  necessities  of  life  widi  the  purpose  of 
faithfully  doing  my  work  and  awaiting  whatever  die  future  might  have 
in  store  for  me. 


-^23)s^~ 


I 


CHAPTER   II 
Wanderings  Through  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 


N  treating  of  this  period  of  Mr.  Giles's  life  the  words  of  Goldsmith 
come  vividly  to  mind:  "Remote,  unfriended,  melancholy,  slow." 

From  Bennington  Mr.  Giles  went  to  West  Hampton  and  taught  for 
a  time.  Thence  he  went  to  a  still  greater  distance  from  his  native 
place. 

New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  through  whicli  he  traveled,  were  then 
much  farther  from  his  home  than  California  would  be  now.  As  he 
went  from  one  country  school  to  another,  always  with  the  burden  of 
his  disappointment  upon  him  (he  had  wished  from  boyhood  to  be  a 
clergyman),  with  ill  health  and  few  friends,  with  the  consciousness  of 
powers  of  mind  capable  of  fine  development,  he  was  constantly  op- 
pressed with  a  morbid  sense  of  his  own  inability  to  surmount  the  ob- 
stacles of  ill  health,  and  frequently  reproached  himself  with  the  failure 
to  work  systematically  at  self-improvement,  a  work  which  under  the 
circumstances  was  simply  impossible. 

No  one,  his  children  least  of  all,  who  knew  my  father  would  recog- 
nize him  in  the  sentiments  expressed  by  this  gloomy  misanthrope.  In 
after  years  these  clouds  were  all  dispelled  by  the  light  of  the  New 
Church.  It  is  to  show  the  change  these  effected  tliat  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  his  diary  are  given. 

THE   DIARY 
On  the  flyleaf  is  written: 

"  Musing  Memory  loves  to  dwell 
With  her  sister  Solitude; 
From  the  busy  world  she  flies 
To  take  that  peace  the  world  denies. 
Entranced  she  sits;  from  youth  to  age 
Rescanning  life's  eventful  page 
And  noting  ere  they  fade  away 
The  little  lines  of  yester  day." 

-4  24  >"- 


WANDERINGS 

It  opens  thus: 

Sundry  Thoughts  and  Feelings  of  one  who  has  Many  that  would 
not  appear  well  upon  Paper 

W ,  Oct.  22, 1835.   Evening.    Desolation,  desolation!  here  I  am! 

where,  where?    A  school-teacher  in  W .    I  am  not  so  weak  but  that 

I  can  brave  a  little  trouble  yet.  Here  am  I  in  this  old  room  without 
anything  to  comfort  and  cheer  me.  But  I  must  away  with  all  these 
thoughts.  I  must  forget  that  I  have  any  sensibilities.  Oh,  how  easy! 
I  must  content  myself  with  plodding  along  in  the  cold  and  cheerless 
routine  of  my  daily  task. 

This  morning  I  commenced  teaching  a  school  of  about  thirty-five  schol- 
ars. Wlien  I  entered  the  schoolroom  and  looked  around  the  motley 
group  before  me  I  felt  as  strangely  as  the  man  with  a  "  turned  head," 
and  if  I  don't  know  by  experience  what  it  is  to  have  a  turned  head  be- 
fore I  get  through,  I  shall  think  myself  well  off.  The  teacher  who 
left  tlie  school  let  tlie  scholars  run  about  just  as  tliey  pleased  and  I 
found  myself  in  a  complete  bedlam.  However,  this  I  hope  to  remedy, 
for  most  of  the  scholars  seem  disposed  to  do  what  is  right.  Gave  them 
a  lecture  on  whispering,  communicating,  and  noise,  took  their  names 
and  then  heard  recitations.  It  requires  more  than  the  patience  of  Job 
to  sit  calmly  and  quietly  and  listen  to  half-gotten,  dull  recitations. 
Such,  however,  seems  to  be  my  fate,  and  I  must  submit. 

Nov.  10.  My  scholars  have  been  more  unruly  than  common  to-day. 
With  some  great  fellows  I  hardly  know  what  to  do.  They  seem  deter- 
mined to  whisper  and  are  entirely  regardless  of  my  feelings.  What 
is  worse  tlian  all,  they  pretend  to  be  Christians,  but  how  little  of  the 
spirit  of  Him  who  was  meek,  forgiving,  and  kind  even  to  the  evil  and 
unthankful,  do  tliey  exliibit!  Strange  that  we  should  be  so  immindful 
of  tlie  feelings  of  others!     But  such  is  human  nature. 

Nov.  18,  1835.  My  school  is  going  down,  or  ratlier  up.  A  number 
of  scholars  have  left  me  radier  than  submit  to  the  regulations.  Well, 
away  with  them,  I  care  not! 

Jan.  3,  1836.  Nearly  two  months  have  elapsed  since  I  have  recorded 
my  feelings,  and  a  strange  two  months  it  has  been  for  me.     After  I 

-  <^  25  }§.••■- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

had  closed  my  school  I  started  immediately  for  somewhere,  which  I 
found  in  the  event  to  be  New  York. 

Driven  by  a  reckless  and  uncontrollable  desire  for  something,  I  wan- 
dered on,  I  knew  and  cared  not  where,  until  my  money  was  nearly  ex- 
hausted. Not  succeeding  in  obtaining  a  school  such  as  I  wanted,  and 
oppressed  with  a  sense  of  loneliness  and  a  desolation  that  was  almost 

insupportable,  I  returned  to  F ,  and  here  I  am  now  teaching.    Wild 

and  reckless  as  my  journey  truly  was,  it  taught  me  one  lesson  which 
I  might  have  learned  before:  tliat  no  change  in  circumstances  can 
change  my  nature,  can  make  me  what  I  am  not —  Oh,  must  I  always 
live  like  this?  Is  there  no  remedy?  If  my  health  would  permit  me 
I  would  plunge  into  the  depths  of  study.  It  should  absorb  my  whole 
attention.  But  now  I  cannot,  cannot  think.  I  cannot  do  anything. 
How  great  and  fearful  is  the  change  which  my  feelings  have  under- 
gone during  the  last  year!  Where,  oh,  where  shall  I  be!  and  what  shall 
I  be  at  the  close  of  this  if  no  light  breaks  in  upon  me? 

Fishkill,  April  1,  1836.  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  traveled 
many  a  mile  and  passed  many  an  hour  of  misery.  I  have  been  with 
friends,  warm,  kind,  and  deeply  interested  in  my  welfare,  and  I  have 
been  alone,  without  one  who  could  sympathize  with  me.  I  know  not  but 
I  have  been  as  happy  in  one  situation  as  another. 

Fishkill  is  now  my  place  of  residence.  I  have  been  here  nearly 
two  months,  teaching  in  the  Academy.  I  have  gained  some  conquests 
over  myself  if  I  have  done  nothing  else.  My  school  has  increased  in 
numbers  very  rapidly,  and  if  nothing  hinders  I  shall  probably  have 
a  flourishing  school. 

April  8.  Wliere  is  there  rest  for  the  weary  soul  which  sits  in 
darkness?  Wlien  will  mine  cease  its  tossings?  When  will  it  be 
calm  and  quiet  as  it  once  was  when  I  believed  all  things  and  hoped 
all  things?  Rest  for  the  weary,  rest!  It  cannot  be  found  in  this 
world. 

April  11.  Well,  I  have  every  tiling  but  myself  to  encourage  me. 
My  school  is  prosperous  and  if  well  conducted  will  be  profitable,  and 
that  is  what  I  very  much  need.  If  I  were  once  free  from  debt,  a  load 
would  be  removed  from  me  which  I  now  find  it  difficult  to  bear.    Cheer 

-•^  26  ^- 


WANDERINGS 

up  then,  my  heart,  better  and  brighter  days  may  yet  be  in  reserve  for 
me  since  there  can  be  no  worse. 

June  8.  Novelty  in  the  occupation  of  teaching!  That  would  be  a 
novelty,  in  truth.  It  is  dullness  and  vexation  to-day,  vexation  and 
dullness  to-morrow,  and  the  next  is  like  unto  it.  An  unceasing  draft 
upon  one's  patience  and  strength,  mental  and  physical. 

One  boy  is  ugly,  another  is  saucy,  a  third  lazy,  a  fourth  a  fool, 
though  his  dear  mamma  thinks  him  a  genius.  A  fifth  is  perhaps  a  good 
scholar,  but  thinks  he  confers  an  everlasting  obligation  upon  you  by 
getting  his  lessons  and  behaving  decently;  and  perhaps  —  oh,  there  is 
no  unmixed  evil  and  bitterness  in  this  world  —  perhaps  the  sixth  is  a 
good,  kind,  and  affectionate  boy. 

The  parents,  too,  are  always  willing  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the 
poor  son  of  suffering.  "  You  must  not  whip  my  boy ;  if  he  does  not 
mind,  let  me  know  it  and  I  will  deal  with  him  severely."  "  I  want  my 
boy  to  study  such  and  such  a  study,  and  I  want  you  to  make  him  get 
his  lessons,"  etc.,  etc.  Another  one  is  perfectly  unmanageable  at  home, 
but  notwithstanding  tlie  teacher  must  keep  him  in  good  order  or  he  will 
have  the  good  old  dame  about  his  ears  pell-mell.  Some  are  not  willing 
to  have  their  children  corrected  at  all,  and  so  it  goes.  Confusion  take 
the  employment!  This  is  not  my  lot  for  life.  May  a  kind  Providence 
forbid  it!  What,  teach,  teach,  teach  forever!  I'll  dig  the  earth  first, 
as  hard  and  full  of  thorns  as  it  is.  But  gentle,  my  kind  friend,  no 
passion,  no  hasty  resolutions;  you  cannot  dig  —  and  to  beg!  why,  you 
would  gain  a  poor  livelihood  in  that  way  —  who  would  give? 

Well,  what  has  happened  to-day?  Nothing  in  particular  —  shook 
one  boy,  deprived  a  half  dozen  others  of  their  recess  because,  forsooth, 
the  little  urchins  were  tardy  at  noon.  They  pouted  some,  but  they  had 
to  bear  it,  and  it  did  them  no  good  to  be  sulky,  for  I  only  laughed  at 
them. 

April  9.  So  goes  the  world.  A  curse  to-day,  a  kick  to-morrow,  and 
that  is  all  a  teacher  can  get.  There  may  be  exceptions,  as  there  are  to 
any  general  rule,  but  they  are  few  —  but  away  with  these  tlioughts. 
It  is  a  beautiful  morning;  the  late  shower  seems  to  have  breathed  anew 
the  breath  of  life  into  all  nature.     The  birds,  the  flowers,  every  blade 

-4  27  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

of  grass,  seem  to  look  fresher  and  send  forth  an  offering  of  sweeter 
incense.  The  clouds  have  rolled  away  to  the  east,  where  they  linger 
in  dark  masses,  as  though  they  wish  to  gaze  still  longer  on  this  lovely 
spot.  The  sun  gilds  them  with  a  glory,  and  their  farewell  is  one  of 
smiles!  They  are  like  the  dull  cold  realities  of  life,  kindled  with  the 
bright  rays  of  exulting  hope. 

On  June  6,  1837,  Mr.  Giles  again  changed  his  situation.  He  is  now 
in  Middletown,  Pennsylvania,  and  writes  as  follows: 

June  7.  Commenced  school  with  twenty-five  scholars,  some  of  them 
dirty,  ignorant,  and  stupid  beyond  comparison,  but  on  the  whole  they 
were  much  better  than  I  expected  to  find  them.  I  have  some  bright- 
looking  boys  and  girls. 

How  much  I  have  changed  in  a  few  years,  yes,  even  in  one  year! 
Constant  gloom  has  had  such  an  indurating  effect  upon  my  heart  that 
I  am  almost  insensible  to  my  condition.  Two  years  ago  I  would  have 
been  more  desolate  in  my  present  situation  than  the  wrecked  mariner 
on  a  barren  rock  surrounded  by  the  waves.  But  the  dream  of  youth 
(he  was  only  twenty-four)  is  passed.  I  have  lived  so  long  without 
friends  that  I  do  not  feel  the  want  of  them  so  seriously,  and  as  I  have 
no  home  I  am  as  contented  in  one  place  as  in  another. 

My  head  has  been  the  source  of  disappointment  to  me,  and  I  believe 
there  are  but  few  who  could  bear  the  constant  pain  which  I  have  borne 
for  years  without  murmuring,  especially  as  the  seat  of  it  has  been  in  such 
a  place  that  it  has  entirely  deprived  me  of  continuing  in  my  favorite 
pursuit. 

This  day  had  passed  away  very  cheerfully,  far  different  from  some 
of  my  first  days  in  school. 

June  9.  0  that  I  could  find  some  way  to  solve  my  doubts,  to  tell  me 
what  to  do  in  my  present  condition.  There  are  a  thousand  employ- 
ments open  to  every  one  but  me.  My  passions  are  strong,  and  my 
will  weak,  and  my  energies  almost  paralyzed.  Whither  shall  I  turn? 
—  Oh,  patience,  patience!  Let  me  wait.  The  time  must  come  when 
I  must  change  this  state  for  better  or  worse.  If  my  plans  are  thwarted, 
perhaps  it  is  for  my  good.    Let  me  then  fulfill  the  duties  which  devolve 

-^  28  ^- 


WANDERINGS 

upon  me.  I  hope  for  better  things.  0  Thou  Great  Power  Who 
rulest  the  heavens,  help  me  in  my  weakness!  Give  me  patience  and 
submission. 

Yesterday  things  passed  off  as  usual  in  school.  Some  of  the  children 
are  rude,  dirty,  and  ugly,  but  I  hope  to  be  able  to  manage  them.  How 
can  I  interest  them  in  their  books?  They  are  without  books,  and  almost 
without  mind.    Can  they  be  made  orderly  and  industrious?    I  will  try. 

June  13.  The  clouds  have  broken  away  and  the  air  is  filled  with  the 
perfume  of  flowers  and  the  music  of  birds.  Why  cannot  man  lift  up 
his  thoughts  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  as  freely  and  spontaneously  as  the 
birds  and  flowers?  Sin  has  blurred  his  perceptions,  and  estranged  him 
from  the  only  Being  Wlio  can  help  him.  Truly  did  sin  bring  death  into 
our  world  and  all  our  woe.  But  why  was  it  permitted  to  enter?  Why 
was  all  this  fair  and  beautiful  creation  of  the  Deity  exposed  to  the 
blight  of  sin  and  death?  This  is  a  mystery  which  none  but  Him  Who 
made  it  can  solve.    For  wise  reasons  He  has  concealed  it  from  our  view. 

Have  been  reading  Watts  on  the  "  Improvement  of  the  Mind."  If 
all  would  follow  the  directions  of  that  great  and  good  man  there  would 
be  fewer  pretenders  to  knowledge,  fewer  cavillers  and  more  sincere 
seekers  after  truth.  I  wish  I  could  follow  his  directions,  but  how  can 
I?    My  head  is  so  diseased  that  I  cannot  keep  my  mind  from  wandering. 

June  17.  I  spanked  one  boy  yesterday,  and  did  it  in  a  passion  too, 
which  was  very  wrong.  But  he  was  so  impudent  that  I  could  not  be 
moderate.  Besides,  I  wished  especially  to  make  an  example  of  him,  as 
he  is  the  son  of  one  of  the  first  men  in  the  place.  When  the  rich  men's 
sons  have  to  obey,  the  others  will  without  any  difficulty.  I  am  deter- 
mined that  I  will  have  good  order  in  school,  if  nothing  else,  and  I 
believe  in  most  cases  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  scholars  fear  you  to 
obtain  that  object.  Many  think  it  can  be  secured  by  persuasion  and 
reason,  but  it  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  scholars.  If  they  have 
been  well  managed  at  home  they  will  use  reason,  but  if  the  rod  has 
been  law  it  must  also  be  to  some  extent  in  school. 

June  19.  I  had  quite  an  addition  to-day  to  my  school.  My  number 
is  now  sixty-six.  I  understand  that  the  committee  are  well  pleased. 
That  is  some  consolation,  especially  as  there  is  some  probability  that 

-4.  29  }§o- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

they  will  wish  me  to  remain  longer  than  my  present  engagement.     If  I 
do  remain  they  know  that  I  shall  have  a  higher  price. 

After  summoning  courage  to  ask  his  landlord  his  rates  per  week  he 
writes: 

June  20.  It  is  strange  what  a  sickly  delicacy  I  have  about  bargain- 
ing of  any  kind.  I  have  been  here  now  nearly  three  weeks  and  have 
thought  every  day  that  I  would  ask  the  price  of  board,  but  have  shrunk 
from  it  until  last  night.  I  was  so  agitated  that  I  could  hardly  stammer 
out  the  question.  This  is  wrong,  and  I  have  thought  many  times  tliat 
I  would  break  myself  of  it,  for  it  has  made  me  some  trouble.  But  it 
is  difficult  to  cure  what  is  bred  in  the  bone. 

June  26.  Sunday  I  walked  to  Harrisburg.  It  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest villages  I  have  seen  in  Pennsylvania.  Front  Street  is  especially 
beautiful.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna, 
whose  broad  and  silver  stream  glides  peacefully  by.  A  number  of 
wooded  islands  lie  scattered  up  and  down  the  river.  Two  bridges  also 
extend  across  it  which  add  much  to  tlie  beauty  of  the  scene.  The  State 
House  is  built  of  brick,  and  from  its  situation  on  an  elevation  presents 
a  very  imposing  appearance.  I  visited  the  State  Library  and  found 
a  very  large  collection  of  books,  principally  of  the  law;  very  little 
poetry. 

Towards  evening,  while  walking  to  take  the  air  and  enjoy  the  cool- 
ness of  the  breeze,  I  discovered  a  multitude  collected  about  the  State 
House  to  hear  a  negro  preacher.  The  gay  dresses  of  the  young  and 
their  quick  and  restless  motions  contrasted  finely  with  the  darker  habil- 
iments of  the  grave  and  aged. 

The  preacher  was  a  man  of  middle  stature,  with  nothing  remarkable 
in  his  appearance  except  a  very  thoughtful  expression  of  countenance 
which  seemed  to  express  the  sincerity  of  his  heart.  He  spoke  fluently 
and  was  quite  graceful  in  his  gestures.  I  was  much  pleased  with  the 
ability  of  the  speaker,  and  the  respectful  propriety  with  which  the 
people,  principally  negroes,  listened. 

Why  may  not  the  blacks,  enslaved  and  degraded  as  they  be,  yet  rise 
and  take  a  stand  with  the  other  races  of  men?    The  idea  that  they  were 

-"»j{  30  ^'- 


WANDERINGS 

designed  by  the  Creator  to  serve  the  more  powerful  white  man  is  one 
which  we  can  hardly  reconcile  with  His  justice  or  mercy.  The  poor 
despised  African  will  yet  arise  from  the  earth,  disenthralled  from  the 
chains  of  his  master. 

June  29.  My  scholars  behave  very  well.  Now  that  I  have  con- 
quered them,  I  must  direct  all  my  energies  to  excite  their  minds  to 
study.  They  begin  to  think  differently  than  they  did  when  I  began  to 
teach.  They  find  I  am  not  a  tyrant,  but  (juite  the  contrary,  and  that 
they  will  meet  with  approbation  and  be  encouraged. 

July  25.  I  have  become  more  acquainted  with  the  yoimg  people  in 
town  and  of  course  have  visited  more.  My  health  is  not  quite  as  good 
as  it  was  when  I  commenced  my  school.  My  head  pains  me  more 
severely.  Oh,  what  a  curse  it  is!  It  is  the  ruin  of  all  my  earthly 
prospects.  I  wish  I  could  get  some  active  employment  diat  did  not 
require  much  mental  labor.  If  I  could,  I  think  I  could  get  along  very 
comfortably. 

Mexico,  Sept.  3.  My  wishes  with  regard  to  an  employment  seem 
to  have  been  at  length  fulfilled.  I  have  given  up  teaching,  and  have 
commenced  an  occupation  which  I  fondly  hope  will  be  more  congenial 
to  my  health  and  feelings.  My  present  circumstances  are  not  very 
cheering,  but  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  better  them.  I  mean  to  cultivate 
habits  of  more  close  and  active  observation,  and  as  I  expect  to  travel 
for  some  time  I  presume  I  shall  meet  with  some  curious  specimens  of 
humanity,  and  many  things  worthy  of  observation  and  remembrance. 

On  the  way  from  Mifflin  to  Leiviston,  Oct.  6.  Tlie  road  lay  through 
tlie  Narrows,  as  it  is  termed.  The  mountains  rise  like  mighty  walls  on 
either  side.  They  are  covered  with  trees,  the  growth  of  centuries,  to 
their  very  tops.  The  clear,  placid  Juniata  glides  noiselessly  and 
humbly  at  the  base.  On  its  calm  mirrored  surface  were  reflected  a  thou- 
sand various  lines  from  the  opposite  mountain,  for  it  is  now  the  season 
of  tlie  "  yellow  leaf."  On  one  side  the  mountains  stretch  along  in  an 
unbroken  line  for  some  miles,  nearly  as  regular  as  if  it  had  been 
formed  by  the  hand  of  man.  The  Pennsylvania  Canal  winds  along  by 
the  side  of  the  road.  As  we  rattled  on  in  our  coach  we  occasionally  met 
with  a  boat,  laden  with  produce  or  passengers,  for  tins  canal  is  the  great 

-^  31  }S-- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

thoroughfare  between  the  East  and  the  West.  The  sound  of  the  boat- 
men's horns  echoed  musically  from  hill  to  hill  and  gladdened  a  scene 
which  of  itself  looked  wild  and  melancholy. 

Oct.  12.  This  has  been  a  day  of  rejoicing  among  the  Democrats.  As 
soon  as  the  news  was  received  that  the  members  of  their  ticket  had  been 
elected,  knots  of  men  began  to  collect  about  the  comers  of  the  streets, 
in  hotels  and  other  places.  Preparations  began  at  once  for  celebration. 
As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  candles  were  stuck  upon  every  post  in  the  centre 
of  tlie  town  and  along  the  principal  streets  before  Democratic  houses. 
Many  boys  who  might  truly  be  termed  "  Rag,  Tag,  and  Bobtail "  were 
immediately  collected.  Soon  after  appeared  two  drums  and  a  fife, 
around  which  all  the  boys  gathered,  and  marched  through  the  streets 
crying  and  screaming  like  so  many  wild  savages.  This  was  but  the 
prelude  to  the  ceremony.  The  band  marched  through  the  streets  pre- 
ceded by  four  men,  each  bearing  a  flag  upon  which  was  painted  Victory 
in  large  letters.  The  great  masses  of  the  Party  joined  this  procession. 
They  stopped  at  the  houses  of  the  principal  Democrats  and  gave  them 
three  cheers.  After  the  circuit  of  the  town  was  completed  in  this  man- 
ner, as  many  as  could,  crowded  into  the  bar-room  of  one  of  the  hotels, 
and  there  they  drank  and  screamed  and  shouted;  they  stamped  and 
clapped  their  hands  and  danced  and  swore  till  all  were  hoarse  and  half 
were  drunk.  They  then  rushed  into  the  street,  where  they  now  remain, 
swearing,  roaring,  and  screaming  like  the  untamed  sons  of  the  forest, 
or,  not  to  disgrace  them  by  such  a  comparison,  like  so  many  devils. 

Such  scenes  as  I  have  witnesed  make  me  tremble  for  our  country,  for 
the  only  firm  basis  of  a  republic  must  be  the  virtue  and  integrity  of  its 
citizens.  This  almost  compels  me  to  believe  that  man  is  not  capable 
of  governing  himself.  The  worst  of  this,  however,  is  caused  by  the 
influence  of  ardent  spirits.  Who  can  see  how  much  below  the  brutes  it 
debases  man  and  not  be  a  friend  to  the  cause  of  temperance  —  a 
tried  friend  —  one  who  would  use  all  his  influence  both  by  precept  and 
example  to  dissuade  others  from  its  use. 

In  the  following  is  the  first  mention  of  the  character  of  his  new  occu- 
pation ■ — ■  dentistry. 

-'4_  32  ^'- 


WANDERINGS 

Oct.  18.  I  have  tried  to  do  a  little  work  to-day,  but  I  fear  it  is  not 
well  done,  and  I  shall  expect  next  week  to  see  some  of  the  individuals 
upon  whom  I  operated  return  with  just  cause  of  complaint,  for  if  my 
filling  does  stay  in,  it  will  be  a  wonder.  This  is  nearly  the  first  piece  of 
work  I  have  performed;  I  am  so  unskillful  in  the  use  of  the  instruments 
and  have  so  little  confidence  in  my  own  abilities  that  I  made  blundering 
work  of  it.  I  broke  three  instruments,  — a  file,  a  drill,  and  a  plugger. 
I  tried  to  fill  two  cavities  in  adjoining  teeth,  but  the  gold  came  out  of 
the  first  one  while  I  was  filling  the  other.  I  was  in  so  much  of  a  hurry 
and  bluster  that  I  could  not  find  an  instrument,  and  instead  of  crowd- 
ing the  gold  into  the  cavity  I  forced  it  between  the  teeth.  I  broke  a 
piece  of  the  tooth  off  and  made  so  many  blunders  that  I  am  almost  dis- 
couraged, but  I  think  I  can  do  better  next  time.  The  fault  at  present 
does  not  lie  so  much  in  my  will  as  in  my  ability.  Perseverance  will 
overcome  all  obstacles,  and  I  hope  I  shall  have  sufficient  to  enable  me  to 
become  a  good  practical  dentist. 

Oct.  23.  Thus  far  my  life  has  not  verified  Dr.  Franklin's  maxim, 
"Time  is  money."  My  time  has  never  been  money  to  me,  at  least 
to  any  great  extent,  and  now  it  is  quite  the  reverse.  But  I  am  in  hopes 
that  I  shall  soon  be  able  to  do  something  to  recruit  my  purse,  for  it  is 
lank  enough  at  present.  Why  can  I  not  make  my  present  profession  a 
stepping-stone  to  something  else,  or  rather,  why  can  I  not  support 
myself  handsomely  and  pursue  my  studies  at  the  same  time?  Surely 
it  cannot  be  for  want  of  leisure;  nothing  but  disposition  —  unless  it  is 
health.  I  have  lived  for  a  long  time  without  thinking,  and  fear  the 
habit  has  become  so  confirmed  that  I  cannot  break  myself  of  it.  My 
mind  is  perpetually  revolving  in  a  circle.  Some  years  ago  I  began  to 
have  some  peculiarities  of  thought  and  have  been  content  to  tread, 
like  a  horse  in  a  mill,  in  the  same  beaten  track  ever  since. 

Why  should  I  suffer  myself  to  sleep  away  my  life  in  this  manner? 
Merely  to  vegetate?  Why  not  think  and  act?  Surely,  why  not?  I  can 
observe  as  well  as  others,  and  why  can  I  not  express  my  thoughts?  I 
have  imagination,  why  cannot  I  body  forth  the  hope  of  things  un- 
known? The  reason,  perhaps,  is  simply  this:  I  have  indulged  so  long 
in  idle  dreams,  in  intellectual  luxury  and  effeminacy,  that  I  have  not 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

sufficient  powers  of  will  to  break  from  my  thraldom  and  pursue  a 
steady  and  vigorous  course  of  thought. 

I  am  now  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  and  the  only  way  for  me  to  rise 
above  the  common  level  is  to  oppose  force  to  force,  to  meet  circum- 
stances with  an  unyielding  spirit.  There  are  no  favoring  gales  to  waft 
me  to  fortune.    The  way  is  stern  and  rugged,  but  it  is  not  impassable. 

"Circumstance,  that  most  unspiritual  god,"  does  not  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  supreme  power.  An  indomitable  will  is  able  to  compete 
with  it.    But  is  mine  indomitable?     "  Aye,  there 's  die  rub." 

Oct.  29.  What  a  strange  being  I  am!  How  inconsistent!  How  I 
long  to  rise  in  the  world,  yet  how  I  dread  the  action  necessary  for  it!  It 
seems  as  if  my  mind  were  sore,  and  that  it  hurt  me  to  think.  Can  this 
be  the  effect  of  slothfulness?  It  seems  to  me  not.  Perhaps  I  am  want- 
ing in  that  one  great  principle  which  forms  tlie  basis  of  all  eminence,  — 
fixedness  of  purpose.  How  much  I  have  read  about  application!  How 
often  I  have  recommended  it  to  my  scholars,  but  how  little  have  I  prac- 
tised it  myself;  to  know  and  to  do  are  two  different  things. 

Perryville,  Nov.  5,  1837.  This  is  a  small  village  in  Kishioquilis 
Valley,  and  the  people  are  good  specimens  of  Pennsylvania  yeomanry. 
The  houses  are  mostly  built  of  logs,  and  though  the  country  has  been 
settled  for  some  time,  it  appears  quite  new.  The  inhabitants  are  a  rude, 
uncultivated,  sturdy  race,  capable  of  enduring  hardship  and  of  living 
on  the  coarsest  fare.  They  are  ignorant  of  almost  everything  but  the 
means  of  acquiring  wealth,  but  in  this  they  seem  to  be  adepts. 

I  am  more  and  more  pleased  with  my  new  profession.  It  affords  fine 
opportunities  for  observation  and  improvement  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  world.  I  see  men,  women,  and  children  of  all  grades  in  their  own 
characters;  besides,  I  have  sufficient  time  to  read  and  study  or  for 
amusement. 

Nov.  10,  1837.  Last  evening  my  landlady  had  what  is  called  an 
"  apple-butter  boiling."  This  is  made  an  occasion  for  great  merriment 
among  the  laboring  classes  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  young  of  both  sexes  collect  early  in  the  evening  with  enough  of 
the  more  aged  to  "stir  the  butter."  The  latter  usually  occupy  the 
kitchen,  while  the  more  gay  and  youthful  assemble  in  another  apart- 

-4  34  )§.-- 


WANDERINGS 

ment  to  spend  their  time  in  dancing.  I  suppose  we  had  an  unusually 
rough  set  last  evening,  but  none  of  the  more  respectable  in  this  part  of 
the  country  will  attend  these  "  breakdowns,"  as  they  are  emphatically 
termed.  There  were  very  few  of  the  female  sex.  The  young  bucks 
came  in  their  usual  everyday  clothes,  and  all  of  them  were  as  wild  as 
untamed  colts.  One,  white  with  meal,  came  from  the  flour  mill;  half 
a  dozen  with  unwashed  hands  from  the  cornfield;  another,  with  a  hole 
in  his  coat,  from  the  shop.  Some  were  with  elbows  out  of  their  sleeves, 
others  with  ragged  pantaloons  and  "  clouted  shoon."  All  were  mad 
with  glee,  swaggering  about  and  kicking  up  their  heels. 

The  young  men  took  turns  in  playing  upon  the  violin.  After  every- 
thing had  been  arranged  as  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  as 
was  possible,  when  all  were  of  a  different  opinion,  they  started  off 
pell-mell.  Such  a  shuffling  and  kicking,  such  a  stamping  and  whirling 
as  tliey  made,  I  never  witnessed  before.  Bill  flouted  his  rags  in  Liz's 
face,  Joe  caught  Jane  around  the  neck,  and  round  and  round  they  went, 
sometimes  up  and  sometimes  half  do\vn.  John  hit  Josh  a  clout  on  the 
ear,  and  Josh  tried  to  trip  up  his  heels  in  return.  "  Go  ahead  "  was  the 
watchword,  and  go  ahead  helter-skelter  they  went.  The  one  who  made 
his  heels  fly  the  fastest  was  the  best  fellow. 

In  this  way  they  continued,  with  an  occasional  interruption,  until 
nearly  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  disorder  became  so  great 
that  they  could  not  proceed. 

Apples  were  handed  around  in  a  basket  such  as  ladies  use  for  sewing. 
All  jumped  for  an  apple  as  soon  as  the  bearer  of  them,  a  fellow  so 
drunk  he  could  hardly  go,  entered  the  room.  As  great  a  scuffle  ensued 
as  when  Discord  threw  the  golden  apple  among  the  assembled  god- 
desses at  the  nuptials  of  Thetis.  Cakes  and  pies  were  placed  on  a 
table  and  every  one  helped  himself. 

It  was  considered  rather  a  tough  "  l)rcak-do^vTl,"  but  all  passed  off 
very  pleasantly  except  for  tlie  few  who  drank  rather  more  wine  and 
gin  than  they  could  carry  steadily.  They  all  seemed  to  enjoy  it  fully. 
It  certainly  afforded  me  much  amusement  and  a  fine  opportunity  to 
observe  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  jealousies  or  rivalry,  except  to  see  who  could  enjoy  himself  the  most. 

-  *4  35  }■>  - 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Every  one  had  a  devil-may-care  air  about  him,  and  there  was  no  fear  of 
violating  the  rules  of  etiquette.  It  is  well  that  it  is  so.  If  happiness 
depended  upon  refinement,  as  it  is  often  miscalled,  or  politeness,  as 
that  word  is  defined  by  the  more  fashionable  circles,  how  large  a  por- 
tion of  the  world  would  be  miserable! 

Jan.  7,  1838.  The  year  of  1837  on  the  whole  has  passed  away  much 
more  pleasantly  than  those  immediately  preceding  it.  My  mind  has 
not  been  so  deeply  involved  in  gloomy  thought  and  my  health  has  boen 
better.  Still  I  sometimes  have  unaccountable  seasons  of  depression. 
At  such  times  life  presents  but  few  charms.  The  future  is  dark  as  a 
thundercloud,  and  I  only  wish  to  live  because  I  fear  to  die.  But  these 
fits  are  not  of  so  long  continuance  as  formerly,  and  this  is  very 
encouraging. 

I  have  now  made  another  temporary  change  in  my  business,  but  how 
I  shall  succeed  the  future  alone  can  determine.  I  have  begun  to  lecture 
on  Chemistry.  To  tlie  people  in  general  I  am  a  traveling  popular  lec- 
turer, and  this  is  my  first  attempt.  I  spoke  last  evening  on  the  science 
in  general,  and  succeeded  much  better  than  I  expected,  though  the  lec- 
ture was  not  a  very  splendid  concern.  It  was  written  in  two  days, 
while  suffering  severe  pain  in  my  head.  However,  it  passed  off  very 
well.  I  was  very  collected  while  delivering  it,  and  made  very  few  mis- 
takes. It  was  rather  a  wild  undertaking  for  one  like  me  to  begin  a 
course  of  public  lectures  on  a  subject  about  which  I  know  but  little, 
especially  since  I  am  to  conduct  a  series  of  experiments  on  substances 
with  which  I  am  almost  entirely  unacquainted. 

I  am  now  cut  off  from  nearly  all  communication  with  those  whom 
I  have  loved  and  esteemed,  and  by  my  erratic  life  I  expect  to  continue 
so  for  some  time  to  come. 

Lewisburg,  Feb.  11,  1838.  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  delivered 
three  courses  of  lectures,  and  have  as  yet  made  nothing  by  them,  and 
I  very  much  doubt  whether  I  ever  shall;  I  have  not  sufficient  confidence 
in  myself  or  assurance  sufficient  to  obtain  subscribers.  Some  weeks 
since  I  had  the  misfortune  to  bum  my  hand  severely,  and  last  evening 
I  accidentally  inhaled  some  chlorine  gas,  which  nearly  suffocated  me, 
and  I  fear  it  has  done  my  lungs  permanent  injur)'.     Improvidence  has 

-4  36  ^'~ 


WANDERINGS 

been  my  besetting  sin  and  the  cause  of  all  my  misfortunes.  I  never 
expect  to  be  worldly-wise,  and  surely  in  my  moments  of  highest  self- 
esteem  I  cannot  consider  myself  wise  in  any  other  sense  of  the  word. 
So  of  course  I  must  be  a  fool  or,  to  use  a  milder  term,  very  unwise. 

Elmira,  New  York.  I  have  spent  two  weeks  in  this  place,  and  have 
delivered  four  lectures  only.  I  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  a  class, 
though  it  was  my  own  fault.  But  I  cannot  go  around  and  ask  men  to 
subscribe.  My  nature  shrinks  from  it.  Every  feeling  within  me  re- 
volts at  the  idea,  so  until  I  can  change  my  nature  I  cannot  make  itin- 
erant lecturing  a  profitable  or  pleasant  employment.  But  I  intend  to 
continue  it  a  little  longer.  I  hope  it  will  help  in  some  degree  to  raise 
my  courage  and  enable  me  to  meet  my  fellow  beings  with  more 
confidence. 

Why  can  I  not  overcome  my  diffidence?  Have  I  not  strength  of 
character  sufficient  to  conquer  these  feelings,  to  break  these  bands  which 
so  fetter  my  actions,  and  which  are  of  so  much  disadvantage  to  me  in 
obtaining  a  livelihood?  Is  my  nature  so  weak  that  I  must  fear  and 
tremble  at  the  sound  of  my  own  voice?  Why  can  I  not  enter  the  busy 
scenes  of  active  life  and  jostle  among  the  crowd  as  others  do?  I  will 
make  one  more  effort  to  do  it.  I  can  succeed.  I  must  succeed.  I  must 
rise  above  these  feelings.  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  that  I  have  indulged 
in  them  so  long.    It  is  a  want  of  manliness.    "  'T  is  weakness  all." 

Palmyra,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  3,  1838.  After  many  wanderings 
I  am  more  at  rest,  though  it  is  not  decided  yet.  A  good  oppor- 
tunity now  offers  itself  to  engage  in  teaching;  the  best  I  have  ever  had. 
What  shall  I  do?  I  have  taught  and  been  miserable.  I  have  taught 
and  been  comparatively  happy,  and  I  have  traveled  and  been  happy 
too.  Some  occupation  I  must  have.  It  is  necessary  to  my  well-being; 
I  have  also  a  heart  for  home  and  rest.  Bums  said  that  it  was  his  curse 
that  he  had  lived  without  an  aim  or  end,  and  I  fear  it  is  likely  to  be 
mine.  I  have  seen  sometliing  of  the  world,  —  not  much  it  is  true,  but 
enough  to  judge  sometliing  of  the  character  of  the  people  who  inhabit 
it.  It  is  pleasant  to  see  new  places,  but  change  can  afford  no  perma- 
nent satisfaction  as  long  as  I  am  in  my  present  circumstances,  in  debt; 
and  often  out  of  money,  or  hard  pressed  for  it.    Will  it  not  be  for  the 

-4  37  }■>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

lasting  benefit  of  my  pocket  and  character  to  settle  down,  be  economi- 
cal, and  endeavor  to  become  square  with  the  world?  My  better  judg- 
ment tells  me  tliat  it  will.  I  know  I  shall  never  advance  as  long  as 
I  am  wandering  from  place  to  place  like  Cain.  Now  let  my  energies 
awake  and  I  may  yet  rise  above  the  common  level  of  my  fellow  beings. 
I  have  mucii  to  do  to  conquer  myself,  to  subdue  wrong  habits  and 
acquire  new  ones;  to  reverse  the  train  of  my  thoughts  and  give  them  a 
new  direction.  I  shall  have  nothing  to  hinder  me  but  my  own  evil 
nature. 

Palmyra,  May  27,  1838.  I  have  now  been  engaged  in  the  High 
School  three  weeks,  and  have  nearly  decided  upon  teaching  as  ray 
profession.  If  I  do  so  I  wish  to  engage  in  the  business  with  zeal  and 
interest,  and  to  become  a  teacher  second  to  none.  It  is  a  lowly  station, 
it  is  true,  in  the  opinion  of  the  world.  It  is  attended  with  unceasing 
care  and  anxiety  and  its  rewards  are  small.  But  there  are  compensa- 
tions higher  than  wealth,  of  a  more  enduring  nature.  The  world  is  all 
a  false  and  deceitful  show,  as  the  experience  of  millions  testifies.  Let 
me  not  envy  the  rich  or  the  great,  but  be  content  with  my  situation,  and 
do  all  that  I  can  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  suffering  humanity  and 
enlighten  the  minds  of  the  rising  generation. 

In  the  following  is  the  first  statement  of  a  principle  of  influencing 
otliers,  that  of  leading  them  in  freedom  to  their  own  decisions  for  the 
right.  Contrast  it  with  his  methods  at  Fishkill  when  the  scholars  were 
to  learn  by  "  fear  "  who  was  the  master. 

May  31.  Yesterday  I  endeavored  to  take  a  new  stand  in  school  with 
regard  to  some  practices  of  the  scholars  of  which  I  do  not  approve. 
And  I  believe  I  began  the  right  way;  appealed  to  their  judgment,  and 
then  made  them  act  upon  it  for  themselves. 

Boys  and  girls  ought  to  regard  every  regulation  in  school  as  insti- 
tuted for  their  benefit.  Wlien  a  rule  is  proposed  by  tlie  teacher  he 
ought  to  exijlain  his  reasons  for  wishing  it  to  become  a  law  of  the 
school.  If  it  is  possible  he  ought  so  to  present  it  that  the  majority  will 
adopt  it  in  feeling,  principle,  and  practice.  Tliey  ought  to  feel  that 
the  law  is  made  for  them,  and  that  compliance  with  it  will  conduce  to 

-4  38  }>•■- 


WANDERINGS 

their  happiness  and  profit.  It  requires  some  tact  on  the  teacher's  part 
to  create  such  a  state  of  feeling,  and  some  decision  to  continue  it,  and 
to  see  that  the  law  is  not  broken  with  impunity.  If  he  can  do  this,  and 
in  addition  make  his  pupils  feel  that  he  is  not  a  tyrant  or  a  stem  mas- 
ter, he  will  do  well  and  have  good  government. 

June  4.  Yesterday  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  appearance  of  an 
Indian  who  came  creeping  along,  apparently  trembling  lest  he  should 
give  offense  to  some  of  the  lords  of  tlie  soil.  I  could  not  but  reflect 
what  a  change  had  come  over  these  people  within  one  century.  Then 
they  were  a  powerful  race.  They  roamed  free  and  unmolested  through 
their  native  wilderness.  Nature's  simple  children;  their  wants  were 
few  and  simple.  When  their  earthly  course  was  run  they  laid  their 
bones  with  tliose  of  their  fathers  in  the  full  hope  tliat  their  spirits  would 
pass  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds  in  which  they  would  spend  a  vigor- 
ous and  immortal  youth  in  pursuing  their  favorite  pleasures. 

But  the  white  man  came  and  the  red  man  has  vanished  from  the 
forests.  We  profess  to  be  an  enlightened  and  philantliropic  people,  but 
we  have  never  ceased  to  persecute  the  Indian  since  we  landed  on  this 
continent.  The  native  has  been  driven  before  us  until  he  is  nearly 
extinct  as  a  race.  It  may  be,  however,  that  we  are  only  the  instruments 
of  vengeance  upon  him  in  the  hands  of  God.  There  seems  to  be 
abundant  evidence  of  the  former  existence  of  a  people  far  more  en- 
lightened than  the  aborigines.  They  may  have  been  exterminated  by 
the  Indian  and  now  it  is  his  turn  to  feel  the  might  of  a  conquering  arm. 

After  a  visit  to  a  young  lady  he  makes  the  following  unflattering 
comment  upon  his  own  conversational  powers.  Here,  too,  is  the  first 
mention  of  Coleridge,  a  writer  whom  he  greatly  admired.  In  after 
years  he  considered  the  influence  of  Coleridge  as  one  of  the  stepping- 
stones  to  his  interest  in  the  New  Church. 

August  18.  My  talk  cannot  be  called  "  small  talk,"  much  of  it,  but 
perhaps  it  is  worse.  It  contains  some  truth  and  much  error,  —  error 
of  manner  and  error  of  expression.  I  have  not  sufficient  command  of 
language  to  converse  well  on  any  subject.  My  ideas  are  too  scattering. 
Many  of  them  are  half  formed,  and  but  few  complete.     I  would  like 

-4  39  }§^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

the  power  of  conversing  freely  and  intelligently,  of  possessing  some  of 
the  graces  and  charms  of  manner  and  the  resources  of  matter  which 
Coleridge  and  some  others  possessed. 

Here  follow  some  comments  upon  a  clergyman.  It  is  only  one  of 
many  criticisms  that  are  frequently  given  in  the  diary.  Douhtless  by 
this  close  attention  and  observant  comment  on  tlie  matter,  manner,  and 
delivery  of  the  sermons  he  heard,  my  father  was  unconsciously  training 
himself  for  his  future  profession. 

He  has  a  good  heart,  but  in  my  opinion  is  rather  narrow  in  his  views 
and  disposed  to  think  it  is  the  minister's  whole  duty  to  preach  repent- 
ance and  forgiveness.  His  mind  has  never  been  thoroughly  disciplined, 
as  is  abundantly  evident  from  his  repetitions,  disconnected  asthmatic 
sentences,  as  Coleridge  would  call  them;  from  his  want  of  order  and 
the  great  length  of  his  discourses.  How  strange  that  any  one  who  pre- 
tends to  teach  should  not  know  that  the  most  abiding  and  powerful 
influence  is  not  produced  on  the  mind  by  constant  and  wearisome  repe- 
titions! If  spiritual  teachers  were  more  mindful  of  their  matter  and 
manner  than  the  quantity  of  their  discourses  there  would  not  be  so 
many  listless  hearers,  and  I  doubt  not  the  word  preached  would  be 
"the  power  of  God  unto  salvation"  to  quite  as  many  as  it  now  is. 

Dec.  16,  1838.  I  have  concluded  to  spend  this  afternoon  in  my 
room,  thinking  that  I  might  derive  more  benefit  from  reading  and  medi- 
tation than  I  could  from  the  minister.  I  need  reflection  more  than 
instruction.  I  need  introspection;  patient,  unflinching  contemplation 
of  my  own  powers,  of  my  nature,  both  moral  and  intellectual.  I  need 
to  understand  my  capabilities  better  than  I  do.  For  years  I  have  been 
driven  from  society  and  restrained  from  making  eff^ort  by  an  unmanly 
shrinking  from  the  world;  by  sensitive  fears  lest  I  should  not  speak 
and  act  in  such  a  manner  that  no  one  could  find  fault  with  what  I  did 
or  said.  Why  should  this  be?  I  am  a  man  as  well  as  the  oUier  beings 
who  compose  the  inhabitants  of  the  eartli.  I  am  endowed  with  the  same 
capacities  in  kind  if  not  in  degree  with  other  men.  Why  then  should 
I  not  exercise  them  with  decision  and  energy,  relying  upon  my  own 
judgment  and  conscience  for  approbation,  rather  than  looking  with  a 

-"^{  40  ^'- 


WANDERINGS 

supplicating  aspect  to  my  fellows  to  be  kind  and  considerate  in  their 
estimates  of  me?  Why  may  I  not  act  independently,  since  God  has 
bestowed  upon  me  rational  faculties,  judgment,  and  powers  of  mind 
of  at  least  ordinary  capacity?  There  is  no  reason,  no  good  one,  and 
I  will  endeavor  henceforth  to  examine  myself  and  gain  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  my  relative  position  in  the  intellectual  world,  and  to  think  and 
act  more  independently  and  to  speak  my  sentiments  more  unreservedly. 
I  can  do  it.    /  will. 

In  the  following  is  expressed  the  germ  of  an  idea  which  after- 
wards became  a  fixed  method  in  tlie  explanation  of  New  Church  doc- 
trines. "  Fundamental  principles!  "  How  often  they  are  mentioned 
in  the  unfolding  of  New  Church  truth! 

Dec.  22.  I  have  a  half -formed  plan  in  my  mind  for  classifying  my 
knowledge  by  beginning  with  fundamental  principles,  then  ramifying 
like  the  branches  of  a  tree  with  different  classes  and  species.  If 
one  would  begin  when  young  and  form  some  general  outlines,  set  up 
some  waymarks  to  guide  his  investigations,  if  he  would  fix  some  general 
principles  and  refer  all  his  ideas  to  those  principles,  comparing  them 
with  the  standard  which  has  been  erected  in  the  mind,  what  stores  of 
knowledge  might  he  not  accumulate  and  of  what  vast  service  this 
metliod  would  be  to  him!  What  order  and  regularity  would  there  be 
to  all  his  thoughts!  Even  if  his  means  of  obtaining  knowledge  were 
limited  he  would  have  perfect  command  of  what  he  did  possess,  and 
could  communicate  it  to  others  with  clearness  and  ease. 

Dec.  23.  If  the  discoveries  of  new  truths  produce  so  much  pleasure 
while  we  stand  upon  the  shore  and  are  examining  only  the  pebbles, 
what  must  be  tlie  measure  of  that  joy  which  is  in  reserve  for  the  human 
mind  when,  freed  from  the  obstructions  of  humanity,  invigorated  with 
new  energies  and  sharpened  with  new  acumen,  we  are  left  free  to  search 
into  the  boundless  ocean  of  mystery  which  lies  beyond  and  before  us. 
Shall  we  go  on,  forever  on,  accumulating  new  ideas,  enlarging  the 
capacities  of  our  o\\ii  minds,  or  rather  of  our  beings,  receiving  new  joys 
from  every  acquisition  and  stimulated  to  new  acquirements  by  new 
pleasures? 

-4  41  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Thus  shall  we  soar  on  eternally  with  no  abatement  to  our  energies! 
Oh,  glorious  hope!  Thought  almost  blasphemy!  I,  like  God,  shall 
ever  be! 

The  above  is  the  first  expression  of  a  favorite  thought  frequently 
heard  in  after  life,  but  applied  then  more  to  the  whole  development 
of  character  than  to  merely  intellectual  growth. 

"  If  tliis  world  is  so  beautiful,  what  must  the  spiritual  world  be!  " 
"The  child  born  to-day  may  develop  far  beyond  tlie  present  capacity 
of  the  highest  angel!  "  etc. 

Dec.  27.  I  think  I  am  deriving  much  benefit  from  reading  Cole- 
ridge's Friend  and  "Aids  to  Reflection."  Every  word  seems  to 
come  home  to  my  heart  and  my  being  seems  to  expand  under  its  influ- 
ence. Wliat  an  intellect  did  that  man  possess!  Who  shall  say  that 
he  did  not  live  a  tliousandfold  longer  than  multitudes  of  common 
men? 

On  December  30  tliere  follows  another  period  of  self -analysis  and 
reproach : 

Have  I  made  the  best  improvement  in  my  power  of  the  means  and 
opportunities  granted  me  for  progress  and  exerted  all  the  means  in 
my  power  to  enhance  the  happiness  and  well-being  of  my  fellows? 
My  heart,  my  conscience,  thunders  No!  I  have  done  little  or  nothing 
for  others.  I  have  made  little  or  no  progress  either  in  the  intellectual 
or  the  spiritual  life.  Some  of  the  year  I  have  passed  in  wandering  from 
place  to  place  as  an  itinerant  lecturer.  My  conversation  has  mostly 
been  of  a  trifling  nature,  my  reading  until  within  a  few  weeks  has  been 
light  and  desultory.  I  have  investigated  no  subject  of  nature  or  art 
to  any  extent.  Life  has  appeared  like  a  dreary  waste,  and  I  have 
wandered  on  like  a  lost  traveler  without  aim  or  destination.  I  have 
learned  some  important  things.  I  am  better  fitted  to  maintain  the 
conflict  with  the  world.  I  have  a  better  knowledge  of  human  nature 
and  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  my  own  heart.  Especially 
during  the  last  few  weeks  have  I  had  new  thoughts  in  relation  to  myself 
and  new  sources  of  pleasure  in  contemplating  the  nature  of  my  exist- 

-^  42  ^'- 


WANDERINGS 

ence,  the  attributes  of  my  being,  and  my  destination.  As  far  as  mental 
discipline  is  concerned  I  don't  know  that  I  have  made  any  progress. 
Despondency  still  broods  with  leaden  wings  over  my  spirit,  paralyzing 
my  energies  and  casting  a  shade  of  darkness  over  my  joys. 

Jan.  1,  1839.  I  trifle  as  much  as  others,  I  presume,  but  not  in  the 
same  way,  and  it  affords  me  no  pleasure  to  prattle  away  an  hour  about 

nothing.     Last  evening  I  attended  a  party  at  .     Both  old  and 

young  were  present  and  it  was  a  gay  time  for  many,  but  I  was  an  ex- 
ception. My  head  pained  me  severely,  and  after  wearing  out  the  even- 
ing I  returned  home  early,  having  derived  no  advantage  from  it  except 
additional  evidence  that  I  never  was  formed  for  promiscuous  society. 

This  evening  I  have  been  writing  an  article  for  the  paper  on  "  Educa- 
tion." It  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  written  for  the  public,  and  it  is 
not  without  hesitation  that  I  have  done  it.  But  something  must  be 
done  to  awaken  the  people  to  the  subject,  and  I  am  willing  to  do  what 
I  can  to  accomplish  so  desirable  an  object. 

On  January  3,  1839,  after  commenting  very  favorably  upon  a 
preacher  he  adds: 

I  wish  I  had  his  command  of  language.  He  certainly  has  a  very 
choice  selection  of  words  at  his  command  and  he  knows  when  and  how 
to  use  them.  That  is  something,  I  suppose,  to  which  I  shall  never 
attain.     My  command  of  language  is  very  limited. 

Jan.  4.  January  has  not  opened  very  favorably.  I  have  had  more 
than  usually  severe  pains  in  my  head,  many  of  my  pupils  are  ill,  and 
the  remainder  are  so  full  of  all  manner  of  iniquity  that  I  can  restrain 
them  with  difficulty.  Every  day  I  see  more  and  more  the  necessity  of 
controlling  myself  or,  in  the  words  of  Jactobat,  of  "emancipating 
myself." 

Now  follows  the  first  mention  of  my  mother. 

I  have  spent  a  part  of  the  evening  with  Miss  L y,  a  worthy  and 

interesting  young  lady  of  sound  mind  and  good  sense.  How  much 
more  gratifying  and  pleasant  it  is  to  talk  with  one  of  such  a  mind  and 
heart  than  to  be  in  a  gay  party  where  sense  is  proscribed  and  serious- 

-^  43  }?►•- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

ness  and  truth  are  strangers.  It  is  one  of  the  properties  of  virtue  and 
intelligence  to  throw  a  charm  over  all  the  intercourse  of  life.  Beauties 
are  discovered  upon  which  the  mind  delights  to  dwell.  An  attractive 
loveliness  is  thrown  over  every  word  and  action.  Even  the  motions  of 
the  body  appear  more  graceful  and  new  beauties  beam  from  the  coun- 
tenance. Let  others  admire  the  graceful  motions  of  the  mazy  dance, 
the  beauty  of  form  and  feature,  the  brilliant  repartee,  the  interesting 
prattle  of  nothings.  But  give  to  me  a  heart  beaming  from  the  eye  — 
"a  soul  warming  tlie  inner  frame." 

This  mention  of  my  mother  is  the  only  one  in  the  diary  until  later, 
when  he  speaks  of  his  engagement  to  her. 

As  she  was  undoubtedly  much  in  his  dioughts  at  this  time,  it  seems 
a  fitting  place  to  introduce  her  and  her  relatives  to  the  reader.  My 
Aunt  Rowena,  Mrs.  Isaac  Knapp,  an  older  sister  of  ray  mother,  who  for 
some  time  assisted  Father  in  his  school  in  Ohio,  has  at  my  request  writ- 
ten tlie  following: 

I  first  remember  your  mother  as  a  perfectly  healthy,  good-tem- 
pered, lovely,  loving  child  after  the  roly-poly  order,  and  of  course  a 
great  favorite  with  her  brothers  and  sisters.  I  do  not  remember  her 
as  particularly  quick-witted  or  brilliant  in  any  way,  but  she  developed 
harmoniously  in  both  body  and  mind.  Singularly  so,  I  think.  When 
old  enough  to  study  "  Watts  on  the  Mind,"  that  was  her  favorite  branch 
of  study.  Her  compositions,  as  they  were  called,  were  above  medioc- 
rity and  quite  original  for  a  schoolgirl.  Her  scholarship,  amiability, 
and  self-respect  insured  her  a  good  standing  with  her  teachers  and 
popularity  among  her  schoolmates.  She  first  became  acquainted  with 
your  father  as  her  teacher.  He,  as  a  native  of  the  same  part  of  Massa- 
chusetts as  our  parents,  naturally  sought  the  acquaintance  of  our 
family.  After  he  had  established  himself  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  he  re- 
turned to  Palmyra,  married  your  mother,  then  but  nineteen  years  old, 
and  took  her  to  his  new  home. 

All  of  the  sisters  (there  were  four)  were  taught  to  knit  and  to  sew 
at  a  very  early  age.  An  irreverent  niece  insisted  that  her  mother  was 
taught  to  "knit  between  creeps."  Their  father,  Abner  Forbes  Lakey, 
was  a  farmer  in  Wayne  County,  a  man  of  sterling,  upright  character, 

-4  44  )g^~ 


WANDERINGS 

and  of  rather  undemonstrative  nature.  The  education  of  the  family 
was  such  as  was  given  in  the  "  select  schools  "  of  the  day.  For  a  time 
my  mother  went  to  a  boarding  school  in  Rochester.  But  the  better  part 
of  her  education,  and  indeed  that  of  all  the  sisters,  was  given  through 
the  influence  of  their  uncle.  Dr.  James  Lakey,  a  remarkable  man  of 
whom  we  shall  speak  later. 

Caroline  Lakey  in  one  of  her  letters  to  this  uncle  gives  a  pleasant 
picture  of  the  home  life  and  their  habits  of  reading: 

The  works  which  you  advised  me  to  read  I  have  never  yet  seen.  Have 
been  reading  lately  Irving's  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  and  admire  it  ex- 
ceedingly. He  has  such  a  happy  faculty  of  giving  interest  to  incidents 
trivial  in  themselves,  by  his  inimitable  way  of  presenting  them  to  his 
readers.  His  "  Sketch  Book  "  was  familiar  to  me  when  I  was  quite  a 
child.  I  well  remember  listening  to  it  a  long  time  ago  when  we  were 
all  at  home  together.  It  was  tlien  our  habit  to  sit  around  our  ample 
fireplace  in  winter  evenings  witli  our  knitting  work,  or  plying  the  swift 
"  little  needles." 

Rowena  read  aloud  to  us  one  evening  "  The  Legend  of  Sleepy 
Hollow,"  and  I  can  never  forget  the  renowned  Ichabod  Crane,  his  ad- 
ventures with  the  spectre,  or  the  comments  thereon  by  my  sisters,  so 
long  as  memory  exists. 

They  not  only  read  but  reflected  upon  the  books  they  perused.  The 
sisters  were  intellectual  women,  aff^cctionate,  of  sterling  character  and 
fine  presence.  Caroline  Lakey  was  perhaps  the  most  talented.  She 
had  a  decided  taste  for  drawing  and  music,  and  possessed  literary  abil- 
ity as  well.  After  tlie  death  of  a  friend,  she  drew  from  memory  a 
likeness  which  was  so  much  better  than  any  existing  portrait  that  it 
was  a  great  comfort  to  the  surviving  relatives. 

For  a  time  she  taught  school.  It  seemed  to  her  that  she  could  obtain 
a  better  position  if  she  knew  how  to  play  the  piano.  She  did  leani, 
notwithstanding  her  father's  disapproval,  which  he  thus  amusingly 
expresses  in  a  letter  to  his  brotlier  James: 

I  had  a  letter  from  Caroline  a  short  time  since.  She  is  anxious  to 
have  a  piano.  Were  I  as  rich  as  I  am  poor  I  should  feel  no  disposition 
to  encourage  such  folly.  I  was  always  friendly  to  musick.  You  know 
I  used  to  make  cornstalk  fiddles  and  have  bought  many  a  jewsharp 

~4  45  }9— 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

of  A.  Wood  (he  used  to  make  the  newest  kind),  but  somehow  I  always 
detested  a  piano.    I  have  not  answered  her  letter  yet. 

My  grandmother,  Lucy  Pomeroy,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  She 
was  beloved,  honored,  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her,  and  her 
death  was  an  irreparable  loss  to  the  family. 

Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter,  was  quite  young,  but  she  took  charge 
of  tlie  housekeeping  and  brought  up  the  family  until  her  father  mar- 
ried again,  ten  years  later. 

Ira  Lakey  was  the  eldest  of  the  family.  He  was  a  very  interesting 
character,  and  it  would  be  pleasant  to  go  more  into  details  concerning 
him  and  give  some  of  his  experiences  as  captain  of  a  whaling  vessel. 

The  second  son,  Franklin  Lakey,  was  a  large  operator  in  grain  and 
became  engaged  in  many  business  enterprises  of  magnitude.  He  was 
a  truly  honorable  man  in  all  the  relations  of  life  and  was  known  as  the 
farmer's  friend. 

The  forbears  of  my  grandfather,  Abner  Forbes  Lakey,  were  Scotch- 
Irish.  Matthew  Lakey  was  the  emigrant  ancestor  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  ship  Eagle  in  1636.  His  father  was  wounded  in  the 
siege  of  Londonderry.  He  was  a  Protestant,  and  it  is  not  known 
whether  he  was  bom  in  Scotland  or  in  Ireland. 

Matthew  Lakey  settled  in  Upton,  Massachusetts,  and  "reared  a 
family  of  sons  and  daughters."  James  Lakey  is  the  one  who  particu- 
larly interests  us.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  as  he  and 
his  wife  made  it  their  home  with  my  grandfather  in  their  old  age,  his 
tales  of  the  war  were  one  of  the  pleasures  of  my  mother's  childhood. 

My  aunt  writes: 

His  sons,  Abner  Forbes,  James,  and  Thomas,  were  very  much  attached 
to  each  other,  more  so  than  is  usually  the  case  with  brothers.  I  wish 
I  had  a  picture  of  the  trio  together  that  would  do  tliem  justice.  Such 
fine  intellectual  heads  surmounting  athletic  bodies;  such  peculiarly 
beautiful  dark  violet  eyes  often  mistaken  for  black,  which  when  provo- 
cation occurred  would  scintillate  sparks  of  indignation  quite  petrifying 
to  the  transgressor.  Love  was  not  unmixed  with  fear  in  my  feelings 
for  my  father.  He  had  the  Puritan  coldness  of  manner  that  kept  his 
children  at  arm's  length.  I  do  not  remember  kissing  him  but  once  in 
my  life,  and  then  he  looked  astonished.  This  occurred  after  a  two 
years'  absence  from  home. 

-4,  46  ^- 


WANDERINGS 

James  was  different.  Being  a  bachelor,  he  adopted  the  children  of 
his  brother  into  his  heart.  He  always  greeted  us  widi  a  kiss  and  kind 
word,  took  great  interest  in  the  formation  of  our  characters  and  minds, 
and  gave  us  presents  of  books  suited  to  our  needs  and  years.  His  ad- 
vent was  hailed  with  delight  and  as  an  important  event  with  his  brothers 
and  their  children. 

In  the  War  of  1812  he  was  a  surgeon  on  an  American  privateer.  This 
was  captured  by  an  English  vessel,  and  he  was  in  Dartmoor  prison  for 
a  while.  After  the  war  closed  he  practised  medicine  in  Canandagua 
for  a  time,  and  eventually  settled  in  Cincinnati,  in  which  place  he  died 
in  June,  1856. 

He  had  the  most  remarkable  and  retentive  memory  I  ever  saw.  He 
considered  the  Bible  the  Book  of  books,  and  the  Christian  religion  the 
great  mental  and  moral  lever  of  the  world.  He  could  repeat  chapter 
after  chapter  that  he  had  learned  when  a  child  at  his  mother's  knee, 
and  poetry  that  he  had  read  and  admired  when  young,  like  Scott, 
Byron,  Pope,  Cowper,  and  any  of  the  English  classics.  He  could  re- 
peat page  after  page  without  an  error.  He  was  very  fond  of  both 
ancient  and  modem  history,  and  always  associated  events  and  dates 
with  unerring  exactitude.  He  was  sometimes  called  by  his  friends 
"  Dr.  Day  and  Date." 

He  was  the  central  figure  in  the  family  group.  Nature  used  her 
finest  clay  in  modeling  him,  and  yet  many  without  half  his  intelligence 
have  achieved  more  recognition. 

The  interest  in  his  nieces,  of  which  my  aunt  speaks,  was  very  mani- 
fest in  his  letters  to  my  mother  after  her  marriage.  He  was  really  a 
friend  in  need  to  the  young  couple.  His  medical  skill  was  at  their 
service  in  times  of  illness,  and  he  was  always  ready  with  his  counsel 
and  advice  in  a  great  variety  of  matters,  from  the  bringing  up  of  the 
children  to  the  consideration  of  any  proposed  change  in  the  family 
plans.  He  without  doubt  saved  the  lives  of  both  my  mother  and  my 
father  at  different  periods,  as  well  as  the  lives  of  the  children.  He  was 
an  influential  factor  in  their  early  married  life,  and  in  later  portions 
of  this  biography  I  have  given  a  number  of  his  letters  at  length. 

In  tlie  Pomeroys,  my  mother's  maternal  ancestry,  the  Puritan  strain 
is  clearly  defmed.     The  very  names  of  the  emigrant  ancestors  (two 

-M  47  ^■~ 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

brothers,  Eltweed  and  Eldad)  have  a  Puritan  twang.  They  came  to  this 
country  in  1636  and  settled  in  Dorchester.  Eltweed  is  the  one  from 
whom  our  mother  is  descended. 

His  son  Medad  removed  to  Northampton  in  1663.  He  was  select- 
man, town  clerk,  registrar  of  deeds,  and  representative  several  times 
to  tlie  colonial  legislature,  besides  being  deacon  for  forty-one  years. 
He  outlived  all  the  original  settlers.  Of  his  descendants  there  are  at 
least  eight  bom  in  the  homestead  who  had  military  honors. 

His  son  Ebenezer  was  the  first  man  in  Massachusetts  to  be  considered 
a  professional  lawyer. 

Ebenezer's  great-grandson  Enos  was  the  father  of  Lucy  Pomeroy, 
my  grandmother.  Her  maternal  grandmother  was  one  of  the  famous 
Edwards  family  of  Northampton. 

The  Pomeroys  were  all  men  of  affairs  both  in  peace  and  war  in  the 
early  days  of  the  country. 

General  Pomeroy  was  one  of  the  original  committee  of  safety  ap- 
pointed in  die  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  not  only  a  soldier 
and  manufacturer  of  guns,  but  rendered  important  service  to  the  state 
and  tlie  country  by  laying  out  and  constructing  the  great  highway  from 
the  Connecticut  River  into  Berkshire  County,  thus  facilitating  the  prog- 
ress of  the  colonial  troops  in  the  French  and  Indian  War. 

We  will  return  now  to  the  diary,  which  is  written  from  Rochester, 
September  22,  1839.  Through  the  recommendation  of  a  college  ac- 
quaintance Mr.  Giles  obtained  a  position  in  the  Collegiate  Institute 
of  Rochester.     He  writes: 

More  than  two  months  have  elapsed  since  I  last  wrote,  and  many 
things  have  occurred  worthy  of  note  if  I  had  possessed  energy  enough 
to  record  them.  My  first  tenn  has  closed  and  I  have  traveled  some 
during  the  vacation. 

I  have  acquired  some  new  ideas  since  I  last  wrote,  by  which  I  mean 
I  have  made  some  new  discoveries  in  my  moral  nature,  the  condition 
of  man  and  the  relation  he  sustains  to  others  and  to  another  world.  I 
seem  to  have  acquired  some  new  light,  —  a  light  which  shines  into  the 
dark  abyss  of  our  nature  and  reveals  dimly  some  of  the  things  which 
lie  concealed  there.  I  have  been  reading  Carlyle's  "Miscellanies," 
and  am  much  indebted  to  him,  for  I  feel  it  has  been  of  great  service  to 
me.     Have  been  quite  unwell  for  some  time.     My  head  much  worse. 

-'4_  48  ^'- 


WANDERINGS 

The  present  term  has  commenced  very  favorably.  Oh,  if  I  can 
have  strength  to  perform  my  duties  aright,  —  wisdom  and  patience  and 
perseverance! 

With  a  growing  sympathy  for  his  pupils  he  writes  on  October  8  as 
follows: 

It  is  universally  acknowledged  that  children  love  knowledge.  Why 
then  are  they  so  dull  and  stupid  in  school?  Are  they  not  fed  with 
stones  instead  of  bread?  When  the  young  heart  cries  for  knowledge 
we  deal  out  words  to  it.  It  feels  that  its  search  is  fruitless  and  soon 
gives  up  tlie  attempt  unless  compelled  by  the  rod  or  fear  of  punishment. 
I  mean  to  make  an  effort  to  enlist  the  feelings  of  my  scholars  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  school  and  the  manner  of  reciting  their  lessons  and 
everything  which  pertains  to  them. 

Oct.  23.  I  have  been  reading  Shelley's  poetry.  How  beautiful! 
How  wild!  How  graceful!  What  a  chaste  imagination!  How  bril- 
liant! And,  after  all,  I  cannot  believe  that  he  was  so  bad  a  man.  If 
he  had  lived  he  might,  and  probably  would,  have  thought  diiferently. 
His  errors  were  those  of  the  head  more  than  of  the  heart.  How 
strange  that  one  of  his  thought  and  discernment  should  think  that 
there  was  anything  in  the  human  heart  naturally  lovely  and  good; 
above  all,  that  tlie  principle  of  love  was  so  strongly  implanted  there, 
that  it  would  ever  reign  paramount  and  guide  and  regulate  all  the  other 
passions  and  affections.  He  has  described  in  the  "  Prometheus " 
almost  exactly  what  would  be  the  state  of  things  if  the  principles  of 
tlie  Bible  reigned  in  every  heart. 

Nov.  20,  1839.  For  the  last  montli  I  have  been  doing  just  nothing 
at  all  except  make  a  few  resolutions  which  have  been  as  soon  broken. 
I  have  read  Foster's  Essay  on  "  Decision  of  Character "  and  perhaps 
have  derived  some  benefit  from  it,  though  1  receive  so  many  impulses 
from  so  many  different  sources  which  drive  me  in  so  many  different 
ways  that  I  move  forward  not  at  all.  I  am  like  a  body  at  the  centre  of 
the  earth,  attracted  every  way  alike,  and  the  consequence  is  that  I  have 
come  to  a  |)crfect  standstill,  or  if  I  move  at  all  it  is  with  a  vacillating 
motion,  and  1  soon  rest  in  the  same  state  from  which  I  started.     My 

-<i  49  )3^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

reading  is  a  specimen,  or  rather  a  result  of  my  character.  I  read  a 
little  of  everything  and  not  much  of  anything  that  is  solid  and  useful. 
Though  novels  I  have  done  with  —  I  cannot  bear  them.  I  read  reviews, 
periodicals,  and  odd  pieces  and  scraps  of  everything.  I  have  quite 
a  passion  for  looking  over  papers,  and  the  thought  has  occurred  to  me 
often  that  I  should  be  quite  at  home  in  the  editorial  chair,  but  I  pre- 
sume a  week's  trial  of  it  would  convince  me  to  the  contrar}'.  I  believe 
I  do  not  read  for  information,  but  for  the  purpose  of  passing  away  the 
time.  I  labor  hard  and  accomplish  as  much  as  most  teachers  perhaps, 
but  still  I  am  out  of  my  element.  I  seem  to  be  doing  nothing  for  myself 
or  others.  The  doctor  says  I  must  not  read  or  think  much.  He  need 
not  caution  against  the  latter,  and  the  former  is  only  another  name  for 
idleness.  I  have  begun  "Locke  on  the  Understanding,"  but  I  presume 
I  shall  not  read  more  than  diree  chapters  in  it  before  I  jump  to  some- 
thing else.  So  I  have  passed  my  life,  and  so  I  suppose  I  shall  till 
death  closes  the  scene. 

Dec.  15.  I  know  not  why  it  is,  but  my  duties  in  school  seem  only 
as  an  accident,  as  something  which  ought  not  to  form  the  main  business 
of  life.  They  are  arduous  too,  and  often  require  all  my  mental  and 
physical  strengtli.  Still  they  hardly  serve  to  form  a  fraction  of  what 
I  am  to  do  and  what  I  ought  to  do.  I  am  not  satisfied  with  myself,  no, 
no,  not  at  all,  and  shall  I  ever  be?  Is  any  human  being?  None  who 
have  a  right  view  of  life.  No,  our  work  never  can  be  accomplished, 
fully,  perfectly;  but  in  working  itself  we  accomplish  somewhat,  if  no 
more  than  to  keep  our  faculties  from  stagnation.  Let  me  work,  let 
me  toil  on  till  life  is  ended,  but  let  me  do  it  heartily,  cheerfully;  let 
me  strive  to  make  progress  by  all  means,  by  joy  and  sorrow,  by  pain, 
by  suffering,  by  disappointment  if  need  be;  let  me  advance  at  any  rate! 

Jan.  12,  1840.  I  have  been  to  the  house  of  God,  and  have  profes- 
sedly worshipped  with  His  people.  But  have  I?  Whom  have  I  wor- 
shipped and  What?  Where  have  been  my  thoughts?  Has  my  heart 
joined  in  the  solemn  ascription  of  praise,  of  honor,  and  glory  to  the 
Great  Supreme?  0  death!  The  palsy  of  death  has  come  over  me. 
I  have  only  a  kind  of  galvanized  moral  life.  If  I  ever  show  any 
signs  of  it  it  is  only  when  imder  the  influence   of  some   powerful 

-»2{  50  ^■- 


WANDERINGS 

excitement,  an  occasional  meteor  flash,  and  then  all  is  darkness.  This 
cannot  be  that  light  which  shines  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect 
day. 

Palmyra,  May  16,  1840.  Another  change  in  my  location.  Once 
more  I  am  among  the  Palmyrans  and  expect  Monday  to  commence 
school  again.  I  believe  I  have  never  stayed  in  one  place  longer  than 
a  year  at  a  time  since  I  came  from  college.  But  I  must  give  the  rea- 
sons for  this  change.  I  went  to  Rochester  because  I  wanted  greater 
wages,  and  for  some  other  reasons  which  do  not  operate  now.  With 
my  increase  of  wages  I  found  a  vast  increase  of  labor  and  a  great 
diminution  of  pleasure.  It  is  true  I  had  many  advantages  which  I  did 
not  and  shall  not  have  here:  the  privileges  of  a  good  library,  a  reading 
room,  fine  music  at  church,  good  preaching,  and  some  other  things. 
But  I  can  have  nearly  all  these  pleasures  here,  and  some  which  the  dry 
and  dusty  city  cannot  afford,  —  the  fresh  air,  the  fragrance  of  flowers 
and  the  green  things  which  cover  the  earth,  the  song  of  birds,  the  pros- 
pect of  green  fields.  But  these  were  not  the  first  or  most  important 
considerations.  After  the  close  of  my  school  in  Rochester  I  came  here 
to  settle  some  unfinished  business,  expecting  to  go  West  as  soon  as  I 
could  on  a  visit  to  my  sister.  A  few  men,  anxious  to  have  a  select 
school,  made  me  an  offer  so  liberal  that  I  concluded  to  accept  it.  The 
school  is  to  be  small,  and  I  think  I  shall  enjoy  it  much.  If  my  health 
is  good  I  mean  to  study  some.  I  intend  to  do  something  and,  what  is 
more,  to  be  somebody.  My  sister  is  married  and  now  I  am  more 
and  more  alone.  It  seems  as  though  a  dark  shadow  had  inter- 
vened between  us,  cutting  me  off  from  the  sunlight  of  her  love.  It 
seems  as  though  I  must  now  look  elsewhere  for  love  and  sympadiy. 
But  I  know  it  is  not  so.  I  know  the  same  love  beats  warm  in  her 
heart  for  me  that  always  has.  She  was  married  to  a  Mr.  Powers 
of  Decatur,  Illinois,  the  first  of  May.  God  grant  that  she  may  be 
happy. 

May  18.  I  went  to  church  Uiree  times  to  hear  Mr.  S and  an- 
other Reverend  from  Ohio.    Mr.  S is  dry  and  hard  in  his  manner, 

exploding  his  words  when  they  come  out  as  though  they  were  wadding 
from  a  popgun.     He  is  one  of  the  scolding  preachers,  rebuking  the 

-■>4  51}->- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

sinner  rather  than  sin.  He  seems  to  manifest  but  little  brotherly  feel- 
ing for  man.  Such  is  not  the  way  to  win  souls.  Fear  may  drive  some 
from  sin,  but  I  doubt  very  much  whether  it  leads  many  to  Christ. 

Hamilton,  Ohio,  Nov.  30,  1840.  Something  of  a  change  in  time 
and  space  since  I  last  wrote.  My  school  in  Palmyra  did  not  answer 
my  expectations  nor  those  of  my  employers,  and  the  consequence  was 
I  left  it.  Many  circumstances  combined  to  make  it  impleasant  for  me 
and  unprofitable  for  others.  The  children  had  been  spoiled  by  mis- 
management at  home.  They  ruled  their  parents,  and  they  thought  it 
strange  that  they  could  not  rule  me.  My  health  was  also  bad.  Some 
of  the  time  I  could  hardly  hold  up  my  head,  and  of  course  I  could  not 
do  justice  to  them.  Consequently,  though  I  was  engaged  for  a  year, 
it  was  tliought  best  to  give  up  the  school,  which  I  did  with  much  cheer- 
fulness. Now  I  am  here,  soon  to  begin  teaching  again,  under  what 
auspices  I  do  not  know.  It  is  something  of  an  experiment,  but  I  am 
not  entirely  dependent  upon  chance.  My  head  is  somewhat  better, 
I  think,  and  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  keep  a  first-rate  school.  I  intend 
to  do  my  best  at  all  events,  and  if  I  fail  1  think  this  will  be  the  last  trial. 
I  will  turn  my  attention  to  some  other  business,  so  that  I  may  prove 
whether  the  fault  lies  altogether  in  me. 

He  thus  speaks  of  his  engagement  to  Eunice  Lakey  of  Palmyra: 

Since  I  last  wrote  a  very  important  crisis  in  my  life  has  passed: 
I  now  contemplate  forming  one  of  the  most  intimate  relations  in  life 
with  one  whom  I  have  long  loved  and  esteemed.  For  some  time  it  was 
a  matter  of  much  doubt  how  my  fate  would  be  decided,  but  I  believe 
that  it  is  now  set  at  rest,  and  in  good  time  I  expect  to  know  from  happy 
experience  the  joys  of  wedded  life. 

I  left  Palmyra  the  27th  of  October  and  had  a  delightful  journey  to 
Cincinnati,  where  I  spent  some  time  with  Dr.  Lakey,  a  gentleman 
whose  acquaintance  with  history  is  more  extensive  than  that  of  any 
one  I  ever  knew.  One  thing  I  learned  from  him,  how  to  remember 
dates,  and  especially  ages.  He  seems  to  know  the  date  of  almost  all 
important  occurrences  since  the  world  began,  and  I  think  he  has  been 
able  to  remember  them  by  comparing  them  with  each  other  and  asso- 

-4.  52  ^^ 


WANDERINGS 

ciating  them  with  other  things.  I  have  tried  the  same  plan  to  some 
extent  and  I  find  it  succeeds  admirably.    I  mean  to  try  more. 

Hamilton,  Dec.  9.  Monday  the  7th  my  school  opened  with  fourteen 
scholars.  The  young  ladies  have  been  educated  as  most  are,  in  our 
schools  at  present,  very  superficially.  They  have  studied  arithmetic 
for  years,  and  yet  there  was  not  one  of  them  who  could  tell  why  we 
carry  for  ten  rather  than  any  other  number.  They  have  been  through 
chemistry,  but  they  do  not  know  much  about  it.  Superficial  instruc- 
tion is  the  sin,  the  besetting  sin  of  all  our  schools.  Knowledge  must  be 
acquired  by  a  kind  of  high  pressure.  We  must  go  at  railroad  speed 
in  education  as  well  as  in  everything  else.  Young  misses  whose  minds 
have  no  maturity  and  but  little  strength,  must  be  hurried  through  the 
whole  catalogue  of  the  sciences  and  accomplishments,  and  when  they 
arrive  at  the  end  they  are  no  wiser  than  they  were  when  they  began. 
They  have  learned  a  few  names  which  convey  no  new  ideas  to  their 
minds.  I  believe  too  the  plan  of  study  is  erroneous.  The  lessons  are 
generally  too  long  and,  consequently,  not  well  learned.  They  get  some 
faint  conception  of  what  they  are  studying,  but  no  clear  and  distinct 
ideas.  They  overrun  but  do  not  make  conquests.  I  am  determined  that 
I  will  try  to  make  some  thorough  scholars  in  this  school  if  I  can.  I 
expect  there  will  be  much  grumbling  and  many  wry  faces,  but  I  cannot 
help  it.  I  think  I  shall  not  have  much  difficulty  in  maintaining  good 
order,  and  many  of  the  pupils  seem  to  be  very  studiously  inclined. 
The  only  fears  I  have  are  about  my  healdi.  My  head  pains  me  very 
much,  and  I  am  afraid  I  shall  yet  be  compelled  to  give  up  my 
profession. 

Jan.  1,  1841.  During  the  past  year  I  have  changed  my  residence 
twice,  have  traveled,  and  seen  some  new  conditions  of  human  nature. 
From  Rochester,  where  I  spent  the  first  of  January,  1840,  I  went  to 
Palmyra,  taught  a  small,  unpleasant  school,  and  left  the  27th  of  Octo- 
ber for  the  West  or  South. 

After  various  wanderings  I  have  come  to  Hamilton,  Ohio,  and  have 
charge  of  the  Hamilton  and  Rossville  Female  Academy.  The  school 
is  not  over  good.  I  have  entered  into  one  of  the  most  interesting  en- 
gagements of  my  life  since  the  year  began,  with  one  who  is  in  every 

-<i  53  IS^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

way  adapted  to  make  me  happy.  I  know  not  how  soon  our  union  will 
be  consummated,  but  if  nothing  unusual  occurs,  probably  before  the 
close  of  the  year.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  have  made  any  further 
conquests  over  myself,  but  I  trust  I  am  somewhat  further  advanced, 
and  I  humbly  hope  if  my  life  is  spared  that  I  shall  be  still  farther  on 
in  the  growtli  and  exaltation  of  my  nature.  In  all  probability  it  will 
be  an  eventful  year  to  me;  its  close  may  find  me  sustaining  new 
relations  to  otliers  and  to  the  world.  That  these  may  advance  my  own 
well-being  as  w«ll  as  that  of  others  is  my  sincere  desire. 

The  winter  in  this  place  has  been  thus  far  delightful. 

Jan.  3,  1841.  Yesterday  I  changed  my  boarding  place.  I  have 
now  a  room  by  myself  and  can  indulge  in  solitude  to  my  heart's 
content. 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  new  year  the  cold  has  been  intense 
for  this  climate,  and  it  is  difficult  to  keep  my  room  warm  enough  to 
be  comfortable,  even  when  wearing  an  overcoat.  This  morning  I  rose 
before  seven,  went  to  the  Academy,  made  my  fire,  swept  my  room, 
and  sawed  some  wood  before  breakfast.  I  have  had  a  pleasant  day 
in  school.  Many  of  the  scholars  study  well.  They  seem  to  have  very 
little  self-command,  however.  It  seems  almost  impossible  for  them  to 
stop  communications.  I  have  introduced  a  plan  which  I  intend  to 
try  more  for  its  possible  effect  tlian  for  anything  else.  I  require  them 
all  at  the  close  of  the  day  to  give  an  account  of  the  number  of  times 
they  have  violated  the  rule  against  communications.  Tliey  don't  seem 
to  care  much  as  yet,  but  I  think  it  will  exert  a  good  influence  in  the  end, 
if  I  am  steady  and  kind  in  keeping  the  account.  I  think  it  will  tend 
in  some  measure  to  do  away  with  the  irritations  which  are  caused  by 
reproof  from  the  teacher,  and  by  the  actions  which  call  it  forth.  I 
think  I  may  be  too  sanguine,  too  impatient  perhaps.  I  do  not  wait 
enough  for  the  slow  motions  of  those  who  are  going  over  the  ground 
for  the  first  time.  If  I  am  wrong  here  I  must  correct  myself.  I  have 
tliought  I  would  pay  some  attention  to  geometry  during  my  leisure; 
I  think  my  mind  needs  the  discipline  of  such  a  study.  I  am  also  re- 
reading Coleridge's  "Aids  to  Reflection."  I  have  derived  much  ad- 
vantage from  it  heretofore,  and  I  think  I  shall  now.    How  much  I  have 

-4.  54  }§e- 


WANDERINGS 

to  do  to  make  myself  anything  like  what  I  ought  to  be!  I  must  strive 
against  a  host  of  passions,  prejudices,  habits,  feelings.  I  must  unlearn 
and  releam.  How  little  do  I  know!  Diligence,  faithfulness,  and  per- 
severance will  accomplish  much. 

Jan.  31.  Evening.  I  have  not  been  to  church  to-day.  I  hardly 
know  whether  it  is  a  duty  or  not.  It  certainly  is  not  a  pleasure,  for 
I  have  heard  the  same  tune  sung  so  long  that  it  has  ceased  to  be  music. 
The  great  truths  of  religion  are  of  so  much  importance  that  they  ought 
always  to  interest  me.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  a  majority  of  our 
ministers  have  but  a  twilight  view  of  what  trutli  is.  They  talk  of  heaven, 
hell,  of  life,  death,  and  eternity,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  know  what 
those  words  mean.  I  hear  nothing  which  bears  the  impress  of  much 
thought.  Not  that  I  desire  novelties,  but  tliat  consideration  which  pre- 
sents old  truths  in  new  aspects. 

Is  not  the  present  mode  of  communicating  truth  calculated  to  make 
men  feel  that  they  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  be  acted  upon  by  it  while 
the  speaker's  voice  is  sounding  in  their  ears? 

When  men  talk  as  if  they  had  something  to  say,  something  within 
which  must  have  utterance,  they  will  have  attentive  hearers,  and  what 
they  say  will  have  effect. 

There  are  but  few  persons  who  will  think  more  than  they  are 
compelled. 

Feb.  5.  My  school  this  week  has  been  very  pleasant  and,  I  believe, 
profitable  for  the  young  ladies.  Many  of  them  are  studying  very  hard. 
They  are  just  beginning  to  leani.  If  I  can  keep  them  tliree  months 
longer  I  think  I  can  show  tlie  good  people  tliat  I  have  taught  diem  some- 
thing.   I  never  have  enjoyed  a  school  so  well. 

On  February  7,  in  a  different  vein  of  morbid  introspection  he 
writes: 

Want  of  decision  has  perhaps  been  my  greatest  enemy,  has  done 
more  to  retard  ray  progress  in  knowledge  and  misdirect  my  powers  and 
energies  than  anytliing  else.  I  owe  much  of  my  weakness  to  a  morbid 
sensitiveness  and  self -consciousness  and  a  fastidious  love  of  excellence. 
I  do  not  wish  to  do  anything  unless  it  is  done  the  best,  better  than  it 

~-si  55  }s^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

has  been,  or  can  be,  and  consequently  I  have  not  achieved  much,  and 
the  little  I  have  performed  has  not  been  very  excellent. 

Feb.  14.  I  have  been  reading  Carlyle's  "  Signs  of  the  Times  "  and 
some  numbers  of  the  Friend.  Both  contain  food  for  long  and  patient 
thought.  How  could  they  call  Carlyle  a  mystic?  I  have  never  read 
a  writer  who  expressed  himself  so  plainly  and  clearly  as  he  does,  or 
one  who  has  so  great  a  command  of  language,  or  uses  it  with  so  much 
accuracy.  It  is  true  the  subjects  he  vrrites  upon  are  not  commonplace, 
and  he  deals  with  principles  more  than  facts.  Indeed,  facts  are  of  no 
value  any  farther  tlian  they  enable  us  to  judge  of  the  principle  which 
originated  them. 

March  10,  1841.  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  met  with  one  of  the 
most  severe  disappointments  which  can  happen  to  a  man  of  sentiment. 
She  in  whom  I  trusted  and  to  whom  I  hoped  to  be  united  soon  has 
doubted  my  affection  and  has  asked  to  have  our  vows  dissolved.  I  hope 
the  breach  may  yet  be  healed,  but  I  fear  not;  indeed,  I  have  little  or 
no  hope  that  it  will.  I  must  suffer,  but  I  can  bear  it  without  repining; 
I  am  now  determined  to  do  more  than  ever  for  the  improvement  of  my 
mind  and  body,  and  if  the  pleasures  of  domestic  life  are  denied  me 
the  world  is  not  shut  from  my  view;  I  intend  to  devote  much  of  my 
time  this  summer  to  the  study  of  the  natural  sciences  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil.  I  have  not  exercised  enough  for  some  years  past. 
I  must  do  better. 

April  5,  1841.  Nearly  a  month  has  passed  since  I  have  had  the 
courage  to  record  my  feelings.  I  have  been  sad,  disheartened,  miser- 
able. I  have  endeavored  to  throw  off  my  gloomy  feelings  as  much  as 
possible,  but  I  cannot  entirely  escape  from  them.  But  I  must  meet 
life  as  it  is,  and  if  it  presents  only  a  stem  aspect  I  must  clothe  my  heart 
as  with  triple  steel  and  meet  it  as  I  best  can. 

The  misimderstanding  with  Miss  Lakey  had  evidently  been  cleared 
away,  for  on  August  9,  1841,  we  find  him  on  his  way  to  Palmyra  to  be 
married. 

On  board  steamer  Robert  Fulton,  Lake  Erie.  Left  Hamilton,  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  for  New  York.     Spent  the  4lh  and  5th  in  Cincinnati  at 

-4.  56  )§«"- 


WANDERINGS 

Dr.  Mosher's.  Had  some  pleasant  chats  with  Dr.  Lakey  about  all  sorts 
of  things. 

Left  Cincinnati  at  half  past  eight  o'clock  for  Cleveland.  The  stage 
was  full,  and  I  was  obliged  to  ride  on  the  outside.  It  was  a  pleasant 
day,  however,  and  I  did  not  regret  it.  Took  dinner  in  Lebanon  and 
tea  in  Dayton,  a  fine  town  of  about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  with  a 
good  water  power,  streets  broad,  situation  level,  and  many  beautiful 
residences.  Started  from  Dayton  with  appeased  appetites,  a  good 
team,  and  a  go-ahead  driver.  Arrived  in  Springfield  at  midnight:  a 
much  larger  place  than  I  expected  to  find.  Reached  Columbus  at  half 
past  seven  a.m.  This  place  is  the  capital.  Contains  about  six  thousand 
inhabitants,  many  fine  buildings,  a  penitentiary,  a  lunatic  asylum,  and 
preparations  are  making  for  building  a  new  State  House.  Left  Colum- 
bus at  half  past  nine,  found  the  roads  dusty.  Was  almost  suffocated 
at  times,  but  got  along  very  comfortably  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an 
hour.  Arrived  in  Cleveland  on  the  night  of  the  eighth;  had  a  good 
night's  rest,  and  the  nexi;  day  at  twelve  o'clock  left  on  board  the  Robert 
Fulton  for  Buffalo.    The  boat  is  slow. 

Palmyra,  Sept.  1,  1841.  I  was  sick  and  did  not  enjoy  the  sail  very 
much.  The  lake  was  smooth  and  but  few  were  troubled  with  sickness. 
Arrived  in  Buffalo  at  eight  a.m.  on  the  tenth,  and  took  a  packet  boat 
immdiately  for  Palmyra,  which  I  reached  on  the  11th  of  August,  at 
twelve  noon. 

Since  my  arrival  here  I  have  spent  my  time  in  visiting,  have  been 
unwell  most  of  the  time,  but  have  enjoyed  the  society  of  my  friends 
very  much,  and  I  now  rejoice  in  the  anticipation  of  being  united  to  one 
who  will  be  more  than  a  friend  to  me.  The  idea  of  home  has  haunted 
me  from  my  boyhood,  and  it  now  seems  about  to  be  realized.  But 
I  cannot  write  upon  this  subject  now. 

Hamilton,  Sept.  16,  1841.  Since  my  last  date  an  important  change 
has  taken  place  in  my  situation.  My  fate  has  been  united  to  another. 
This  occurred  on  Wednesday  morning,  September  8lli,  at  nine  o'clock. 
Immediately  after  our  marriage  we  set  out  for  this  place.  The  first 
day  we  went  only  to  Rochester.  Were  accompanied  a  short  distance 
by  a  number  of  friends.     We  spent  the  night  in  Rochester,  and  pro- 

-Mi  57  ^■- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

ceeded  the  next  day  to  Buffalo  by  packet.  The  day  was  warm,  we 
were  both  unwell,  and  the  time  hung  rather  heavily  on  our  hands. 
Arrived  in  Buffalo  the  next  morning  at  eight  o'clock.  Breakfasted  and 
went  to  the  Falls  by  railroad.  We  spent  some  hours  in  viewing  tlie 
scenery,  and  returned  to  Buffalo  in  time  to  take  the  evening  boat  for 
Cleveland.  When  we  left,  tlie  lake  was  quiet  and  we  thought  we  should 
have  a  pleasant  trip,  but  before  long  it  became  very  rough;  I  was  some- 
what sick,  but  Eunice  was  much  more  so.  We  arrived  safely  at  Cleve- 
land the  next  evening  about  five  o'clock.  We  remained  there  until 
Monday,  when  we  left  for  this  place.  We  were  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
pleasant  weather  all  this  time,  with  good  roads  and  good  company.  It 
was  a  long  and  fatiguing  ride,  however,  and  I  was  glad  when  we  found 
ourselves  safely  in  our  rooms  here. 

Hamilton,  Sept.  21,  1841.  We  have  removed  our  quarters  from 
the  hotel,  and  are  now  making  preparations  for  a  home  for  the 
winter. 

What  a  change  has  taken  place  in  my  whole  life  within  a  few  short 
weeks!  From  the  loneliness  and  desolation  which  has  been  my  lot 
for  many  years,  I  have  now  a  companion,  the  chosen  one  of  my  heart, 
to  sit  with  me,  to  cheer  me  in  sadness,  to  comfort,  to  sustain  and  guide. 
When  I  return  from  school  I  have  a  glad  smile  and  a  cheerful  heart 
to  greet  me.  I  am  no  longer  compelled  to  resort  to  my  books  to  drive 
away  unpleasant  tlioughts.  And  yet  I  can  hardly  realize  the  change. 
Have  I  a  companion  for  life?  Is  she  to  go  with  me  through  good  and 
evil,  through  joy  and  sorrow,  through  prosperity  and  adversity?  Each 
day  I  feel  more  and  more  how  richly  I  am  blessed,  but  it  will  be  a  long 
time  before  I  can  fully  comprehend  the  length  and  breadth  of  my 
happiness.  May  I  have  wisdom  to  fulfill  all  my  duties  aright;  to  be 
careful  of  her  feelings  and  to  guard  her  interests  and  welfare  as  my 
own,  as  dearer  than  my  own.  We  arrived  here  the  16th  of  September 
and  remained  at  the  hotel  until  the  20lh,  when  we  commenced  boarding 
at  Mr.  Garrison's.  I  shall  begin  school  to-morrow.  I  do  not  expect 
a  great  number.  The  people  care  but  little  for  education.  It  is  too 
expensive,  —  the  terms  are  too  high.  But  I  hope  to  be  able  to  make  a 
living  and  have  some  time  for  mental  improvement. 

-4  58  }>- 


WANDERINGS 

It  was  at  Mr.  Garrison's  that  Mr.  Giles  first  became  acquainted  with 
Swedenborg.  A  copy  of  "Conjugial  Love"  was  lying  on  the  table. 
He  picked  it  up  and  opened  to  the  Memorable  Relation  on  the"  Joys 
of  Heaven."  After  reading  it  he  said,  "Well,  if  the  crazy  man  has 
written  nothing  worse  than  that  he  is  not  so  crazy  after  all." 

Oct.  6.  Every  one  has  two  histories:  the  history  of  his  outward  life, 
of  his  acts,  —  the  tangible,  the  visible,  —  and  the  far  more  important 
history  of  his  inner  life,  of  his  heart,  his  hopes,  his  fears,  his  daily 
acquisitions  in  knowledge,  his  progress  in  virtue.  This  part  of  my  life 
has  assumed  a  new  aspect.  Over  it  has  been  thrown  a  cheerful  radiance 
which,  if  it  does  not  exhibit  itself  in  outward  acts  and  appearances, 
shines  with  a  healing  light  and  an  enlivening  warmth  over  my  heart. 

The  records  of  deep  affection  can  never  be  written.  Something  may 
be  told.  As  in  statuary,  the  form  may  be  given,  but  the  life,  the  ani- 
mating soul,  is  and  ever  must  be  wanting. 


-^59^- 


I 


CHAPTER    III 
Life  at  Hamilton 


N  his  "  Boy's  Town  "  W.  D.  Howells  speaks  of  the  Hamilton  of  this 
period  as  a  "  very  simple  little  town  of  some  three  thousand  people,  liv- 
ing for  the  most  part  in  small  one-story  modem  houses,  with  here  and 
there  a  brick  house  of  two  stories,  and  here  and  there  a  log  cabin.  .  .  . 
It  stretched  eastward  from  the  river  to  the  Canal  Basin,  with  the  market 
house,  the  county  buildings  and  the  stores  and  hotels  on  one  street,  and 
a  few  other  stores  and  taverns  scattering  off  on  streets  that  branched 
from  it  to  the  southward.  .  .  .  All  around  the  Boy's  Town  stood  die 
forest,  with  the  trees  that  must  have  been  well  grown  when  Mad  An- 
thony Wa)Tie  drove  the  Indians  from  their  shadow  forever.  .  .  . 

"The  white  people  had  hewn  space  for  their  streets  and  houses,  for 
their  fields  and  farmsteads  out  of  the  woods,  but  where  the  roads  had 
been  left  they  were  of  immemorial  age.  They  were  not  very  dense 
and  the  timber  was  not  very  heavy.  .  .  .  There  was  little  or  no  under- 
growth except  here  and  there  a  pawpaw  thicket,  and  there  were  some- 
times grassy  spaces  between  them  in  which  the  may-apples  pitched  their 
pretty  tents  in  the  spring.  .  .  .  The  forest  at  some  points  was  nearer 
and  at  some  farther,  but  nearer  or  fardier,  the  forest  encompassed  the 
town." 

Hamilton  is  situated  on  the  Miami  River.  It  is  also  on  a  canal  which 
connects  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  wiUi  those  of  tlie  Ohio  River,  some 
twenty  miles  south  of  the  town.  The  canal  basin  is  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  town  itself.  There  is  a  "  Hydraulic  "  which  pumps  the  waters 
from  the  old  river  into  two  reservoirs  in  the  town  and  provides  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  The  miasmas  from  the  old  river  bed  pro- 
duced much  illness,  and  fever  and  ague  and  remittent  fever  were  so 
common  that  they  were  taken  more  or  less  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  houses  were  heated  by  means  of  open  fires,  and  wood  was  the 
fuel  used.  Water  was  furnished  by  wells  and  cisterns,  and  usually 
there  was  a  large  hogshead  at  every  door,  placed  there  to  catch  the 
rain  water  for  laundry  purposes.  Homemade  tallow  candles  and  lamps 
in  which  lard  oil  was  burned  gave  light  at  night  for  reading  and  sewing. 
Although  there  was  some  severely  cold  weather  in  winter,  spring  came 

-4.  60  ^'~ 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

early,  and  the  summer's  intense  heat  began  in  June  and  lasted  through 
September. 

The  town  was  connected  with  the  outer  world  by  means  of  the  canal 
boats,  which  arrived  daily,  and  the  stage-coach,  which  traveled  over  a 
corduroy  road  from  Cleveland  to  Cincinnati,  taking  Hamilton  en  route. 

The  people  of  the  community  were  either  from  Kentucky,  Virginia, 
Pennsylvania,  or  New  Jersey.    '^There  were  very  few  from  New  England. 

Here  in  the  autumn  of  1841  Mr.  Giles  brought  his  young  bride,  a 
girl  of  nineteen.  At  first  tlie  young  couple  boarded  at  the  hotel,  and 
then  in  a  private  family,  that  of  a  Mr.  Garrison. 

Mr.  Giles  was  established  as  principal  of  the  Hamilton  and  Rossville 
Academy,  and  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Giles's  uncle.  Dr.  James  Lakey  of 
Cincinnati,  writes  thus  of  his  prospects: 

Hamilton,  Dec.  6,  1841. 
I  have  a  very  pleasant,  orderly  school  of  sixteen  scholars,  and  so 
far  as  I  can  judge  from  appearances  the  scholars  are  well  pleased 
with  my  method  of  teaching,  and  I  presume  tlie  parents  will  be  when 
they  know  anything  about  it.  Some  of  the  young  ladies  who  thought 
they  were  old  enough  to  do  as  they  pleased  pouted  a  little  at  my 
discipline,  but  when  they  found  that  none  of  these  things  moved  me 
they  became  quiet  and  now  seem  well  pleased.  Tliey  have  not  been 
well  instructed,  and  if  I  can  get  pupils  enough  to  have  one  ex- 
amination I  think  I  can  show  the  good  people  that  it  is  for  their 
interest  to  send  to  me.  There  are  several  causes  that  operate  against 
the  school  and  will  continue  to  operate  for  some  time.  Many  of  tlie 
parents  had  sent  their  children  away  to  otlier  schools,  and  now  they 
do  not  wish  to  take  them  out  until  the  close  of  the  session.  Others  don't 
know  there  is  a  school  here  yet.  They  have  just  started  a  new  public 
school,  and  because  the  building  is  new  many  think  they  can  leara 
faster  there.  My  school  will  probably  increase  some  till  die  close  of 
the  session,  and  if  I  can  show  them  something  new  and  prove  to  them 
that  their  children  have  been  well  instructed,  I  have  no  doubt  of  my 
ultimate  success.  I  am  not  sure  that  Hamilton  is  the  best  place  to 
establish  a  school,  but  I  think  less  depends  upon  die  location  than  Uie 
character  of  the  school.  But  it  requires  time  to  gain  a  reputation  of 
any  value  in  teaching,  as  well  as  in  other  professions.     I  suppose  a 

-4  61  }3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY  GILES 

boarding  school  would  be  more  profitable  tlian  a  day  school,  especially 
in  this  part  of  the  country  where  provisions  are  cheap  and  board  so 
dear,  and  I  have  it  in  mind  to  have  one  either  in  this  place  or  some 
other.  From  my  own  experience  in  teaching  and  what  I  have  seen,  I 
think  a  small  school  with  a  large  price  is  tlie  most  profitable  botli  for 
parents  and  teachers.    But  I  cannot  tell  what  I  shall  do. 

I  have  little  or  no  society  to  my  taste  as  yet,  and  I  have  not  been  in 
a  situation  to  read  or  study  much  until  since  the  first  of  January.  Since 
then  I  have  been  spending  most  of  my  time  in  reviewing  geometry. 
I  intend  to  commence  studying  some  language  soon  but  I  have  not 
decided  what.  I  left  almost  all  my  classical  books  in  New  York,  so 
that  I  am  poorly  provided  with  ammunition  of  tliat  kind. 

In  his  diary  he  writes  thus  of  his  home  life: 

Sabbath,  p.  M.,  Dec.  4,  1841.  What  a  change  has  taken  place  in  my 
life,  in  all  my  feelings  within  a  few  months!  I  did  not  think  it  possible 
that  anything  could  affect  me  so  much,  or  that  so  much  happiness  was 
ever  to  be  shared  by  me  in  this  world.  After  many  years  of  doubt,  of 
desponding,  of  darkness  and  pain,  after  suffering  so  much  and  so  long 
that  I  began  to  think  that  the  only  hope  of  comfort  I  had  was  that  de- 
rived from  the  power  of  enduring  pain,  acquired  by  long  suffering. 
After  thinking  that  for  me  there  was  no  fellow  and  that  the  best  and 
noblest  part  of  my  nature  must  forever  remain  a  blank  for  the  want  of 
an  opportunity  to  exercise  it,  to  see  once  more  the  visions  of  my  youth 
brought  back,  not  as  visions  but  as  reality;  to  possess  quiet  and  peace- 
ful thoughts,  to  be  greeted  at  all  times  with  kind  looks  and  words,  to 
have  a  home  for  my  heart  and  my  affections,  for  my  thoughts  as  well 
as  my  body;  to  have  the  hours  which  have  heretofore  been  so  solitary 
cheered  by  the  presence  of  one  dearer  than  life;  to  be  surrounded  with 
elegancies  suited  to  my  taste,  with  books  and  one  to  share  them;  to 
have  almost  every  means  of  rational  gratification,  a  good  measure  of 
health,  a  pleasant  employment  and  the  satisfaction  of  thinking  I  am 
doing  some  good  while  I  am  ministering  to  my  own  necessities;  besides 
all  these  and  more  than  all  these,  to  have  the  sunlight  of  deep,  pure, 
and  constant  affection  thrown  over  them  all.    It  is  more  than  I  can  com- 

-^  62  ^'- 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

prehend.  I  think  of  it.  I  wonder  at  it,  and  I  sometimes  fear  it.  Why 
is  it  so?  What  have  I  done  to  merit  or  acquire  it?  Will  it  always 
last?  Are  these  joys  above  the  changes  of  time?  Age  and  experience 
would  tell  me,  "  Nay,"  but  I  will  believe  them  immortal,  and  no  power 
shall  convince  me  to  the  contrary  except  experience.  I  have  hardly  a  wish 
ungratified.  And  yet  many  who  have  been  as  happy  as  I  am  now,  and 
who  have  felt  as  secure  in  the  possession  of  felicity,  have  been  stripped 
of  every  comfort,  have  wandered  houseless,  homeless,  and  companion- 
less  tlirough  many  years,  and  have  finally  gone  down  to  a  dark  and 
hopeless  grave.  May  such  a  doom  be  averted  from  me!  May  I  have 
wisdom  given  me  from  the  Source  of  all  wisdom,  so  to  live  that  I  shall 
not  bring  such  a  lot  upon  myself  by  my  improvidence  and  that  I  shall  not 
deserve  it  for  my  sins.  May  I  have  that  meekness  which  will  pre- 
vent me  from  being  arrogant  and  self-willed ;  which  will  secure  enough 
of  earthly  blessings  for  a  competence,  and  gain  the  respect  and  good 
will  of  all  those  with  whom  I  associate. 

The  old  habit  of  morbid  self-depreciation  occasionally  crops  up 
even  in  the  midst  of  his  new-found  happiness.  The  following  from  his 
diary  embodies  in  addition  what  in  after  life  he  frequently  expressed: 
tlie  importance  of  regarding  things  from  general  principles. 

Jan.  16,  1842.  Yesterday  being  Saturday,  I  had  the  whole  day  in 
which  to  do  nothing  and  accomplished  it  very  well.  It  was  a  beautiful 
day  and  we  rode  a  few  miles  in  the  afternoon.  Talked  and  visited 
most  of  the  time.  In  the  evening  read  Guizot's  "  History  of  Civiliza- 
tion "  and  Hallam's  "  Middle  Ages." 

Whenever  I  attempt  to  examine  any  question  either  of  history  or 
morals,  it  assumes  so  much  importance  and  takes  so  wide  a  range, 
and  requires  so  much  research,  that  I  am  always  deterred  from  com- 
pleting the  survey,  or  of  even  attempting  it. 

It  is  our  duty,  however,  to  generalize  our  facts  as  much  as  we  can, 
and  to  look  at  them  all  in  the  light  of  some  principle.  For  everything 
is  connected  with  principles  either  as  effect  or  cause,  and  generally, 
perhaps  always,  as  both.  But  what  poor,  weak,  miserable  attempts 
I  make  at  everything!     What  have  I  ever  accomplished?     The  sum 

-<i  63  )§."- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

total  seems  to  be  nothing.     The  history  of  a  day  is  —  nothing;  the 
history  of  a  week,  a  year,  a  month  —  nothing. 

Sept.  4,  1842.  On  the  9th  of  April  we  left  Mr.  Garrison's  and 
commenced  keeping  house!  We  had  been  kindly  furnished  with  some- 
thing to  eat.  After  we  had  pushed  our  things  into  something  like 
order,  made  our  bed  and  set  up  our  stove,  Eunice  made  some  tea,  and 
for  the  first  time  we  sat  at  our  own  table  and  partook  of  our  o\vn  fare. 
We  were  alone,  yet  it  was  a  sweet  meal,  and  I  like  now  to  revert  to 
it.  As  we  felt  isolated  from  the  world,  dependent  upon  ourselves,  we 
seemed  to  be  drawn  closer  together.  The  cords  which  bind  our  hearts 
in  one  were  tightened  and  strengthened.  It  was  a  happy  hour  for  us 
both.  We  thanked  God  for  His  mercies  and  implored  His  blessing  on 
us,  and  on  the  days  which  followed.  How  shall  I  describe  them?  With 
sufficient  employment  to  keep  our  minds  and  bodies  active  we  passed 
week  after  week  of  happiness,  of  calm,  quiet,  but  deep-felt  joy.  My 
school  and  garden  afforded  me  constant  employment  and  E.  found 
enough  to  occupy  her  attention  in  domestic  matters  and  in  preparation 
for  the  coming  autumn.  Our  hearts  were  active,  making  happiness 
from  little  daily  incidents.  So  passed  the  first  few  weeks  of  our  house- 
keeping. After  a  while  we  took  two  boarders,  who  remained  with  us 
for  some  weeks. 

Further  particulars  of  their  life  are  given  in  the  following  letter  to 
Dr.  James  Lakey: 

Hamilton,  May  8,  1842. 

Two  Dutch  friends  of  mine  leave  for  your  city  to-morrow,  and  offer 
to  be  the  bearers  of  a  letter  to  you.  Since  you  left  I  have  been  very 
busily  engaged  in  my  school  and  garden.  Many  of  my  seeds  have 
come  up  and  I  find  myself  much  interested  in  their  growtli.  On  the 
5th  we  had  some  lettuce  and  radishes  of  our  own  raising.  Of  course 
we  thought  them  better  than  we  could  obtain  in  the  market.  Our 
peas  and  beans  will  not  be  as  early  as  we  could  wish,  but  we  shall 
have  an  abundance  of  them  when  they  do  come.  I  have  some  sweet 
potato  plants  and  I  have  some  fine  tomatas,  as  I  find  the  word  spelled 
in  some  books.     We  have  a  cow  also,  and  I  can  assure  you  we  live 


mi;.    \M)  \iiiN.  cii.ES 


.  I  hour  IHfJ 
ff  hen  Mr.  Giles  was  teaching  in  lluniillon 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

most  luxuriously.  For  the  first  time  in  many  years  I  can  have  good 
milk  and  plenty  of  cream.  My  mode  of  life  suits  me  better  than  it 
has  for  a  long  time.  I  have  had  a  little  too  much  to  do  since  we 
commenced  keeping  house,  but  that  will  not  continue  long.  My  gar- 
den will  furnish  me  with  just  exercise  enough,  and  a  pleasant  recre- 
ation from  the  fatigue  and  anxiety  of  the  schoolroom. 

My  school  celebrated  May  1st  on  the  5th.  A  large  number  of  our 
most  respectable  citizens  were  present  and  I  gained  a  great  deal  of 
credit  from  the  neat  and  orderly  appearance  of  the  school.  You  see 
how  barren  of  incident  my  life  is,  that  I  am  obliged  to  talk  of  the  songs 
and  dances  of  little  girls  and  tlie  growth  of  radishes  and  beans.  My 
mind  is  at  present  "  of  the  earth,  earthy,"  and  if  my  letter  smells  of 
the  mould  I  trust  it  will  be  none  the  less  interesting  to  you. 

My  razor  strop  has  very  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  though  I 
have  not  forgotten  that  "  Charity  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,"  I  "  sus- 
picion "  an  uncle  of  ours  who  lately  made  us  a  visit,  of  abstracting  it. 
If  it  was  done  feloniously  my  worst  wish  is  that  the  use  of  it  may  have 
the  same  effect  upon  his  razor  that  the  want  of  it  has  upon  mine.  I  have 
a  "feeling"  sense  of  my  loss  as  often  as  I  attempt  to  shave.  I  have 
used  a  Greek  reader  to  give  edge  to  my  razor  but  with  very  indifferent 
success.     I  suppose  it  contains  too  many  roots. 

I  have  looked  with  much  pleasure  over  those  papers  you  left.  I 
found  the  names  of  some  of  my  relatives  in  one  number. 

I  should  like  to  see  an  occasional  number  very  much.  Those  rugged 
hills  have  produced  some  men  of  clear  heads  and  stout  hearts,  and 
though  I  have  spent  many  days  among  them  in  digging  tlie  hard 
and  rocky  bosom  of  the  eardi,  I  remember  them  with  much  interest  and 
affection. 

Eunice  thinks  she  grows  stronger  every  day,  and  I  think  our  new 
home  and  mode  of  life  have  had  a  good  effect  upon  us  both. 

This  quiet,  happy  life  continued  for  some  months  and  then  Mr.  Giles 
writes  in  his  diary: 

My  heahh  has  been  mostly  ver\'  good  during  the  summer,  and  I 
have  labored  liard.     E.  has  been  very  delicate,  but  most  of  tlie  time 

-4  65  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

she  has  been  able  to  attend  to  lier  household  duties.  On  the  lOth  of 
August  she  was  attacked  with  a  violent  fever  and  on  the  18th  was 
delivered  of  a  son.  The  child  had  died,  it  was  supposed,  some  days 
before,  during  a  violent  paroxysm  of  fever.  My  own  feelings  during 
the  time  of  her  sickness  I  cannot  describe,  and  I  don't  know  that  I  should 
wish  to  if  I  could.  E.  was  dangerously  ill  for  a  long  time  but  is  now 
rapidly  recovering,  and  we  fondly  hope  that  her  health  will  be  much 
better  than  it  has  been  since  our  marriage.  She  has  borne  all  her 
pain,  sorrow,  and  disappointment  nobly.  Every  day  of  our  life 
strengthens  my  affection  for  her  and  I  have  the  hope  that  our  course 
through  life  will  be  one  of  peace  and  joy.  I  am  sure  it  will  be  one  of 
peace. 

In  a  letter  he  speaks  of  one  of  the  school  exhibitions. 

My  examination  passed  off  very  well.  The  young  ladies  generally 
gained  credit  for  diemselves  and  for  their  teacher.  The  Exhibition 
was  a  little  too  good.  The  young  ladies'  essays  were  so  much  better 
than  the  people  expected  that  tliey  think  tliat  I  or  some  older  heads 
wrote  them.  On  the  whole  everything  passed  off  better  than  I  expected, 
and  I  think  my  prospects  for  a  school  next  session  are  better  than  they 
have  ever  been. 

We  have  had  a  letter  from  Rowena.  I  believe  she  has  given  up  the 
idea  of  coming  out  here.  Her  father  cannot  furnish  her  with  sufficient 
funds.  This  is  quite  a  disappointment  to  us.  I  had  made  my  arrange- 
ments to  have  her  assist  me,  but  I  must  now  find  some  one  else.  I  want 
some  one  upon  whom  I  can  rely,  one  who  has  energy  and  good  govern- 
ment. All  the  young  ladies  who  teach  here,  so  far  as  my  knowledge 
extends,  are  milk  and  water  concerns.  The  one  I  have  had  this  summer 
is  a  good  girl  enough,  but  she  has  no  energy,  and  it  has  been  twice  the 
labor  to  govern  the  school  that  it  ever  was  before.  We  should  be  very 
glad  to  see  you  if  your  business  will  allow  it.  If  you  cannot  come 
soon,  please  write.  I  shall  be  compelled  to  defer  my  visit  to  the  city 
for  the  present. 

Mrs.  Giles's  father  was  induced  to  change  his  mind  and  allowed  his 
daughter  to  go  to  Ohio.     The  diary  records  this  fact  as  follows: 

-<■{  66  ^'~ 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

Sept.  28,  1842.  Sister  Rowena  arrived  on  the  25th  and  is  a  very 
welcome  visitor.  I  expect  she  will  assist  me  in  school.  It  seems  as 
though  we  had  a  fine  prospect  for  happiness  during  tlie  coming  winter. 
Eunice  is  getting  better.     Is  now  quite  comfortable. 

To-morrow  there  is  to  be  a  great  barbecue  at  Dayton.  Henry  Clay 
is  to  be  there,  and  it  is  expected  there  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  gather- 
ings that  ever  took  place  in  the  country.  The  Whigs  are  preparing  for 
the  coming  contest  with  much  spirit.    Success  to  them! 

Oct.  2,  1842.  My  school  continues  very  much  as  it  was.  Most  of 
the  scholars  are  orderly  and  industrious.  I  have  some  boys  who  never 
have  studied  and  I  am  now  making  an  effort  to  arouse  their  ambition 
to  do  something.  I  have  scolded  and  threatened  them  to  no  purpose. 
I  tried  to  make  them  see  how  much  they  could  leani  in  half  an  hour. 
This  had  some  effect  for  half  a  day  but  no  longer.  I  dien  endeavored 
to  appeal  to  their  feelings,  to  show  them  the  consequences  of  such 
slothfulness.  And  I  believe  I  succeeded  in  making  them  feel  that  the 
course  they  are  pursuing  is  one  that  will  ruin  their  characters,  at  least 
for  men  of  business.  Afterwards  one  of  them  came  to  me  of  his  own 
accord  and  said  that  they  had  resolved  to  do  the  best  they  could  the 
rest  of  the  season.  I  have  kindled  some  ambition.  If  I  can  only  make 
the  spark  live  until  it  bursts  into  flame  I  shall  do  them  much  good. 
I  want  to  make  those  boys  learn.  For  myself  there  is  not  much  hope. 
I  pursue  the  same  dull  course.  I  have  nothing  —  I  am  dull,  stupid, 
lifeless.    If  I  read  I  do  not  remember. 

Oct.  30.  1  have  tried  an  experiment  which  so  far  has  succeeded 
very  well;  I  keep  an  account  of  the  attendance  and  conduct  of  the 
pupils,  and  once  in  four  weeks  I  invite  the  parents  to  come  to  die 
Academy  and  hear  it  read.  I  never  had  so  good  order  in  school  before 
and  with  so  little  difficulty. 

As  far  as  the  training  and  education  of  the  children  were  concerned 
the  school  was  a  decided  success,  but  there  were  those  in  the  committee 
who  thought  Mr.  Giles's  charges  for  tuition  were  too  high. 

When  the  lawyers  and  doctors  who  composed  the  board  of  trustees 
asked  him  to  put  down  his  rates,  he  said,  "  I  will  go  all  lengths  witli  the 
lawyers  in  reducing  my  prices;"  —  a  proposition  they  diil  not  seem  to 

-4  67  }■>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

like  very  well.     They  replied  that  their  income  was  reduced  by  their 
inability  to  make  collections.     Of  course  I  could  say  tlie  same  with 
regard  to  myself. 
He  adds: 

Tliis  demonstration  shows  me  that  I  can  put  no  confidence  in  the 
permanence  of  my  school.  They  will  destroy  it  before  1844  if  it  is 
not  discontinued  from  other  causes  before  then.  I  never  saw  any  trus- 
tees who  would  let  well  enough  alone.  Every  one  says,  "  You  are  mak- 
ing money,"  and  seems  to  think  it  strange  and  wrong.  I  believe  the 
commimity  generally  thinks  that  a  teacher  ought  not  to  make  anything. 

Who  would  tliink  of  asking  a  lawyer  to  charge  less  because  it  was 
"hard  times"? 

The  tidings  of  Mrs.  Giles's  illness  and  the  death  of  her  baby  brought 
out  much  sympathy  from  her  relatives  in  Palmyra.  The  following 
letter  from  her  Aunt  C^Tithia,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Lakey,  is  so  sweetly 
affectionate  and  shows  such  tender  solicitude,  it  gives  at  the  same  time 
such  wise  counsel,  that  it  must  greatly  have  cheered  the  heart  of  the 
young  motlierless  girl  in  the  new  country,  away  from  the  large  family 
of  relatives  to  which  she  was  accustomed,  and  striving  in  her  inexperi- 
ence to  meet  the  new  life  bravely. 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  Aunt  Cynthia  Lakey 

Palmyra,  1st  month,  18-12. 

I  had  intended  to  reply  to  your  mutual  letter  before  this,  but  since 
the  departure  of  thy  uncle  my  health  has  been  too  good  to  afford  leisure 
for  aught  save  the  multiplied  avocations  of  home.  My  letters  are  com- 
monly the  result  of  illness,  for  I  dare  not  appropriate  to  my  own  en- 
joyment tlie  time  which  my  children  properly  claim. 

Is  it  true,  my  dear,  that  thou  hast  been  sick?  Luther  called  to-day 
and  said  that  that  was  the  last  intelligence  though  he  thought  it  was 
some  time  since  any  had  been  received.  I  was  truly  sorry  to  hear  it 
and  hope  thou  art  better  before  this.  If  not,  I  cannot  forbear  fancying 
how  sadly  time  will  pass,  how  thou  wilt  wish  for  the  cheering  influence 
of  familiar  faces,  the  kind  attentions  of  sisters,  and  in  this  I  am  not 
imaware  of  the  value  of  those  attentions  thou  art  receiving,  having 

-4^  68  ^'- 


LIFE   AT  HAMILTON 

been  so  often  obliged  to  test  them  and  feel  their  repose.  But  thou  art 
inexperienced  in  the  real  trials  of  life,  in  a  new  home  and  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  strangers.  It  will  test  thy  strength  but  I  hope  it  will  not  be 
found  wanting. 

I  know  indeed  thou  hast  not  been  exempt  from  trials  —  very  few  are 
—  but  thou  wilt  find  them  so  various  that  the  past  will  appear  less, 
perhaps  the  farther  tliou  advances.  Strength  for  all  things  is  the  most 
we  need  and  that  is  all  derived  from  one  unfailing  source. 

Does  it  not  seem  a  very  long  time  since  thou  wert  here  with  us? 
Time  and  distance  will  become  less  and  less.  I  used  to  think  Cincin- 
nati too  remote  for  calculation,  now  it  appears  nearer  than  New  York. 
We  receive  frequent  little  embassies  thence  and  think  of  it  often. 

E.  P.  thou  saidst  was  a  Catholic.  Why  do  her  parents  so  much 
regret  it?  To  me  various  investments  of  religion  are  shadows.  Once 
I  confided  much,  but  the  schism  in  the  society  of  which  I  am  a  member 
destroyed  all  confidence  in  names  merely.  It  has  been  useful  to  me. 
Since  then  my  confidence  has  not  been  placed  on  human  institutions 
nor  my  devotions  intercepted  by  aught  of  earth. 

As  society  exists  at  present,  sects  are  doubtless  necessary.  They  are 
as  inns  to  the  traveler,  homes  to  the  homeless,  aids  to  those  who  falter; 
but  I  should  not  presume  to  direct  to  one  more  than  another,  where  the 
great  truths  of  religion  were  professed  and  practised.  Catholicism  has 
had  her  full  share  of  the  good  and  great  and  has  contributed  largely 
toward  alleviating  human  misery. 

Tlie  above  was  written  last  night,  after  my  children  were  in  bed. 

I  fear  this  letter  will  not  be  what  thou  wilt  wish.  I  know  the  yearn- 
ings of  die  heart  for  home.  After  absence  every  circumstance  con- 
nected with  it  becomes  interesting.  Home  embraces  much,  but  I  must 
leave  the  rest  for  thy  sisters;  they  will  doubtless  write  soon. 

In  my  last  I  intended  to  have  drawn  from  my  own  experience  and 
observation  of  married  life  for  thy  benefit.  I  am  not  miirli  in  the 
habit  of  giving  advice  —  you  girls,  I  think,  arc  tlie  only  exceptions  to 
a  general  rule  —  unless  it  is  solicited.  Had  thy  excellent  mother  been 
spared  you,  this  solicitude  of  mine  would  have  been  unfelt,  uncalled 
for. 

-^  69  }§••- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  am  not  intending  to  write  a  dissertation  on  married  life,  or  to  lay 
down  rules  of  conduct.  Thy  own  good  sense  will  direct  thee  better 
than  volumes  that  are  written  on  the  subject.  But  tliere  is  one  rule  that 
I  adopted  early  tliat  has  been  of  more  importance  than  aught  else,  and 
contributed  to  my  happiness  more  than  unbounded  wealth  could  pos- 
sibly have  done  without  it;  a  rule  which  should  be  applied  to  every 
situation  in  life,  but  which  is  sadly  overlooked  even  by  those  who 
profess  to  be  Christians,  and  that  is  to  acknowledge  the  hand  of  Heaven 
in  all  things  and  apply  the  acknowledgment  to  daily  life.  Wliilc  we 
are  young  and  sheltered  by  home  and  parents  we  have  but  little  re- 
sponsibility or  care,  but  when  we  become  heads  of  families  we  soon 
feel  the  need  of  strength  not  our  own.  There  is  a  great  amount  of  fear- 
fulness,  of  real  trial  in  the  way  of  our  sex,  and  it  is  found  in  almost 
every  day  of  our  lives.  Thou  dost  not  now  feel  it,  but  arm,  my  dear, 
for  the  contest,  for  it  will  most  assuredly  meet  thee. 

My  own  married  life  is  familiar  to  thee  but  thou  hast  seen  and  felt 
widi  the  mind  of  a  child.  We  have  had  a  great  amount  of  real  suffer- 
ing in  an  almost  unbroken  course  of  sickness.  I  am  constitutionally 
fearful  and  sensitive,  and  had  it  not  been  for  tliis  early  confidence 
I  cannot  fancy  what  would  have  sustained  me.  Often,  so  great  has  been 
my  despondency  that  I  have  as  it  were  held  my  breath,  nor  dared  to 
think  lest  my  weak  heart  should  rebel.  But  Heaven  was  kind  and  gave 
strength  for  all  things.  This  trust  and  repose  in  God  becomes  a  living 
principle  in  the  heart  and  invests  even  the  visible  creation  with  beauty 
unseen  before.  It  becomes  associated  with  all  that  we  think  or  do.  To 
acknowledge  it  lends  a  new  charm  and  affords  a  new  impulse  for  the 
performance  of  every  duty.  It  warns  us  too  of  the  approach  of  trial, 
not  in  idle  dreams,  but  in  a  happy  consciousness  of  security  and  rest 
in  Him  who  is  Lord  over  all.  Apart  from  this  I  cannot  fancy  security 
or  rest. 

Do  not  consider  any  preparation  necessary  to  perform  this  simple 
act  of  reliance  and  trust.  It  will  shield  thee  from  evil  and  unite  thee 
to  God.  Nothing  but  love  for  ihee  has  induced  this.  I  am  not  disposed 
to  make  religion  a  topick,  and  seldom  introduce  my  own  opinions, 
and  when  I  do,  feel  afraid  I  have  dishonored  more  than  elevated.    I  like 

-4.  70  ^'- 


LIFE   AT  HAMILTON 

best  the  little  rill  that  betrays  its  presence  by  the  verdant  appearance 
that  marks  its  progress. 

I  see  I  am  near  the  bottom  of  the  page.  My  thanks  to  thy  good  hus- 
band for  his  part  of  your  letter.  I  accept  his  apology  for  not  calling 
on  me  and  think  it  a  good  and  sufficient  one,  but  regret  much  being 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  pen  and  ink  to  form  his  acquaintance.  I 
cannot  fancy  your  marriage.  I  know  thou  art  far  away  and  feel  as 
though  all  were  right,  but  had  you  both  called  I  should  have  enjoyed 
the  recollection  greatly.  I  hoped  to  hear  thou  wast  engaged  in  school, 
for  I  feared  the  intervals  of  solitude  would  not  conduce  to  happiness. 
But  thou  must  open  thy  heart  to  pleasant  thoughts  and  learn  to  love 
the  "  Buckeyes."  If  I  were  in  tlie  habit  of  wishing  I  should  wish  our- 
selves nearer  you,  somewhere  in  the  warm  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  soon. 

It  was  not  many  months  after  this  letter  was  sent  that  the  writer  died. 
My  mother  comments  on  it  and  other  matters  in  a  letter  to  her  Uncle 
James. 

Hamilton,  Ohio,  Oct.  8,  1&42. 

The  sad  news  of  our  dear  aunt's  deatli  we  received  in  a  letter  from 
Rowena  before  your  paper  came.  I  cannot  realize  that  she  has  passed 
away;  the  chill  shadow  of  death  is  not  so  sensibly  felt  at  a  distance. 

Sister  Rowena  set  out  from  home  the  18th  of  Sept.  and  arrived  here 
the  25th.  I  was  so  glad  to  see  her  I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  We  had 
been  looking  for  her  Saturday,  but  as  she  did  not  come  we  gave  up 
seeing  her  for  another  week.  Sunday  night  the  stage  stopped  and  so 
did  Rowena.  A  Southern  family  chartered  the  stage  and  so  she  had 
to  wait  one  day  in  Hebron.     I  can't  say  much  of  her  journey,  we  have 

had  so  much  to  talk  about.    She  visited  Dr.  W 's  and  Mr.  D 's 

families  on  her  way,  and  without  losing  either  herself  or  her  baggage 
found  Hamilton,  Chauncey,  and  me. 

If  you  are  tired  of  this  namby-pamby  stuff  turn  over  the  page,  the 
balance  of  the  sheet  will  be  better  filled. 

The  truth  is,  dear  uncle,  I  never  wrote  a  dozen  letters  in  my  life, 
and  I  hesitate  and  stammer  as  much  in  writing  as  I  sometimes  do  in 

-4  71  }•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

talking.  Notwitlistanding  this,  Chauncey  thinks  I  can  write  if  I  try  and 
wishes  me  to  practise.  Possibly  I  am  some  like  the  Irishman's  fiddle 
that  had  music  enough  in  it,  the  trouble  was  in  getting  it  out. 

Mr.  Giles  added  a  few  words: 

Dear  Uncle: 

Eunice  has  referred  you  to  this  interesting  page.  If  a  weary  body 
and  a  faint  heart  can  produce  anytliing  interesting  you  may  find  it  here. 
It  never  cost  me  such  effort  to  live  before.  I  make  mountains  out  of 
molehills,  even  breathing  seems  to  be  an  uphill  business,  and  I  some- 
times feel  as  if  I  should  like  to  stop  a  little  while  and  rest.  I  have 
a  "  heap  "  of  work  to  do  this  autumn.  My  potatoes  are  not  yet  dug 
and  my  beets  and  carrots  remain  in  their  mother  eardi.  My  school 
occupies  more  of  my  time  than  usual.  I  shall  deliver  a  course  of 
lectures  on  chemistry  to  a  class,  and  I  am  making  a  strong  effort  to  have 
a  better  school  than  I  have  ever  had  and  I  think  I  shall  succeed. 

We  have  had  about  two  hundred  ministers  here  for  two  weeks.  All 
the  "  help  "  in  the  town  has  been  engaged  and  we  were  obliged  to  help 
ourselves. 

Rowena  is  now  with  us  and  contributes  much  to  our  happiness.  She 
assists  me  in  school  and  Eunice  out,  and  we  move  along  very  happily 
and  comfortably.  She  brought  us  a  letter  from  Ira  and  a  fine  collec- 
tion of  shells. 

Your  affectionate  nephew      ^   ^   ^ 

L.  L.  Giles. 
Mrs.  Giles  continues: 

Yet  there  is  room,  and  according  to  the  rule  for  female  letter-writers 
I  must  have  a  P.S.  If  you  will  favour  me  with  a  visit  I  would  much 
rather  express  my  gratitude  by  word  of  mouth  than  on  paper  (do  not 
infer  that  my  tongue  acts  more  readily  than  my  hands).  The  passage 
of  ideas,  or  rather  words,  from  my  head  seems  to  be  so  difficult  that 
few  are  deposited  in  black  and  white  (blue  ink  is  now  in  common  use), 
and  those  are  usually  in  so  mutilated  condition  that  it  is  witli  shame 
I  ever  acknowledge  them.  I  always  find  they  are  not  what  I  once 
thought  them. 

-4  72  ^'~ 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  Thomas's  "  Reminiscences  of  the  Last 
Sixty-five  Years."  They  contain  some  fine  extracts  and  valuable  facts, 
but  there  is  much  of  the  editorial  "  t<;e"  in  the  style.  He  seems  to  think 
that  there  is  not  half  the  hospitality  and  good  feeling  in  our  country 
that  there  was  when  youth,  health,  and  wealth  gathered  around  him 
a  circle  of  acquaintances  that  time  and  time's  changes  have  scattered 
forever. 

I  am  much  indebted  to  friends  and  neighbors  for  kindness  and  at- 
tention during  my  sickness,  but  in  common  with  otlier  housekeepers 
I  subscribe  to  the  generally  expressed  opinion  that  the  "  Helps "  are 
a  "trifling"  class. 

Early  in  1843  Mr.  Giles  sent  for  his  parents,  brothers,  and  sisters. 
It  was  a  longer  journey,  and  one  involving  more  discomfort  at  that  time 
than  a  journey  across  tlie  continent  or  to  South  America  in  these  days. 

In  a  letter  to  his  son  giving  details  of  the  preparations  to  take  his 
family  to  Ohio,  John  Giles  writes  as  follows: 

But  why  all  this  fuss  about  going  West  when,  according  to  Millerism, 
this  insignificant  speck  with  its  more  insignificant  inhabitants  compared 
to  the  Universe  is  to  be  destroyed  next  April.  We  may  as  well  be  de- 
stroyed here  as  anywhere  else.  There  are  few  believers  in  the  doctrine 
in  this  vicinity. 

For  some  reason  imknown  to  me  the  yoimgest  son,  Edward,  a  boy 
of  fifteen,  was  left  behind.  Soon  after,  he  went  to  sea  and  was  not 
heard  from  until  twenty  years  later,  when  he  returned  broken  in 
healdi  and  died  at  tlie  home  of  his  sister  Almira  in  Decatur,  Illinois. 
There  are  several  of  his  letters  which  have  been  preserved.  They 
express,  even  after  the  long  absence,  strong  family  affection.  The  other 
brother,  James,  stayed  about  a  year  at  Hamilton,  and  then  went  to 
California.  In  this  state  he  settled,  married,  and  had  a  large  family  of 
children. 

Of  the  sisters,  Caroline  and  Ellen,  the  former  helped  in  the  school 
until  she  left  Hamilton  to  be  married  to  a  brother  of  her  sister  Almira's 
husband,  Mr.  Powers.  She  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of  character, 
not  only  much  beloved  and  respected  by  her  children  but  of  great  in- 
fluence for  good  in  the  comniunity,  especially  in  the  cause  of  education. 

The  sister  Maria  was  with  Uiem  for  a  while,  until  she  also  married. 

-4  73  !§►" 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Ellen,  the  youngest,  at  tliis  time  a  child,  remained  in  Father's  family 
until  her  death  of  typhoid  fever.  For  a  time  she  taught  school  in  Cin- 
cinnati.   She  died  in  1858,  while  visiting  her  sisters  in  Decatur,  111. 

This  large  addition  to  her  household,  in  itself  a  tax  upon  her  strength, 
must  also  have  been  an  ordeal  for  one  so  young  and  timid  as  my 
mother.  She  was  still  grieving  for  her  dead  baby  and  had  not  yet 
regained  her  physical  strength. 

The  first  meeting  with  new  relatives  is  always  an  ordeal  for  a  newly 
married  woman,  and  Mother  was  no  exception.  When  one  considers 
that  this  large  number  of  "  in-laws  "  were  taken  into  the  family,  that 
she  had  little  or  no  help  from  servants,  that  she  was  in  a  pioneer  country 
with  none  of  the  modem  conveniences  of  living,  it  seems  little  short  of 
heroic  for  this  young  woman  of  twenty-one  to  assume  so  much  responsi- 
bility. That  she  met  it  bravely  and  conscientiously  none  know  better 
than  her  children,  but  they  do  not  wonder  that  she  was  occasionally 
sad  and  dejected. 

Hamilton  was  a  very  unhealthy  town  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
illness  for  them  all  in  tlie  next  two  years.  But  I  will  let  the  diary  tell 
the  story. 

Hamilton,  June  25,  1843.  Since  my  last  date  many  changes  have 
happened  to  me  in  mind  and  some  in  external  things.  My  wife  still 
continues  to  be  unwell  and  I  fear  she  will  not  recover.  My  father, 
mother,  and  sisters  have  come  from  Massachusetts,  and  my  school 
prospers.  In  some  respects  I  seem  to  be  doing  well,  in  others  —  what 
can  I  say? 

At  the  close  of  the  term  he  writes: 

I  shall  have  a  good  school  in  a  few  years  if  the  trustees  do  not 
interfere  with  me.  In  house  and  home  affairs  we  move  along  as  usual. 
We  have  some  difficulties  to  contend  against,  as  who  has  not?  Some 
differences  to  reconcile,  some  trials  to  overcome,  some  things  to  bear 
and  suffer,  but  we  have  many  sources  of  happiness  and  many  oppor- 
tunities for  improvement.  I  have  now  a  long  vacation.  I  intend  to  use 
some  of  it  in  visiting  schools  in  the  city,  in  recruiting  my  health  and 
spirits,  and  in  making  preparations  for  the  coming  session.  There  are 
many  things  which  lead  me  to  suppose  that  I  shall  not  make  this  a  per- 

-4.  74  >- 


LIFE   AT  HAMILTON 

manent  residence.  My  prospects,  however,  for  the  present  are  very 
good. 

Dec.  31,  1843.  If  there  is  anything  in  the  history  of  the  past  year 
worthy  of  notice  it  is  that  I  have  become  interested  in  the  writings  of 
Swedenborg.  They  have  opened  new  views  of  life  to  me.  The  world 
wears  a  new  face.  Whether  they  are  true  or  false  they  will  exert  a 
most  important  influence  upon  my  life. 

Jan.  1,  1844.  If  I  mistake  not,  the  new  ideas  of  life  which  I  have 
obtained  from  the  New  Church  works  will  assist  me  much  in  overcom- 
ing some  defects  in  my  character.  I  think  they  will  give  me  new 
strength  of  purpose,  and  perhaps  in  time  enable  me  to  overcome  and 
correct  some  original  deficiencies  in  my  nature.  I  must  set  myself 
seriously  at  work,  and  though  I  put  no  confidence  in  myself,  yet  there 
is  One  Who  has  strength  and  WTio  is  ever  willing  to  impart  it  to  others 
if  they  are  willing  to  receive  it. 

I  have  been  reading  some  of  the  New  Church  doctrines  lately,  and 
if  I  have  health  this  winter  I  shall  investigate  them  more  fully  than 
I  have  yet  done. 

The  idea  that  a  kind  Providence  watches  over  us  and  directs  all 
things  for  our  good,  an  idea  which  has  now  bcome  a  part  of  my  life, 
will  do  much  to  strengthen  me  in  remedying  some  of  the  greatest  defects 
of  my  character. 

April  15,  1844.  Uncle  James  visited  us  on  the  9tli  and  remained 
until  this  morning.  We  enjoyed  his  society  much.  He  is  full  of  anec- 
dotes, and  we  have  learned  much  from  him  about  men  and  things.  He 
has  the  most  extensive  acquaintance  with  history  of  any  man  I  ever 
saw.  He  is  matter  of  fact  and  hates  metaphysics  as  he  does  the  devil. 
He  advises  me  to  study  law.  I  hardly  know  what  to  think  of  it.  I 
think  I  am  unfitted  for  it  by  nature  and  habit  though  many  of  my 
friends  think  diff'erently. 

Surely,  I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  I  feel  as  if  it  were  an  enormous 
task  to  go  through  with  the  vast  volumes  of  die  law  at  my  age  (tliirty- 
one),  poor,  with  a  family.  It  must  be  a  hard  struggle.  I  don't  know 
what  to  do. 

May  11,  1844.     What  is  my  situation?     Poor,  with  no  means  of 

-4.  75  )S«- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

support  but  my  own  labor,  with  a  mind  not  well  disciplined,  with  habits 
which  have  in  some  degree  become  fixed,  which  will  not  permit  the 
closest  application  to  study,  with  a  total  dislike  of  parade  and  show, 
with  a  sensitive  shrinking  from  all  unpleasant  contact  with  my  fellows, 
and  with  the  certain  knowledge  that  tlie  rewards  of  wealth  and  gratified 
ambition  are  very  unsatisfying.  What  can  I  do?  If  I  study  law  and 
practise  it  I  must  do  it  against  the  current  of  all  my  feelings,  for  I  be- 
lieve that  very  few  fair  decisions  are  obtained  in  what  are  called 
the  courts  of  justice.  If  I  bend  all  my  energies  to  the  accumulation  of 
wealth  I  should  feel  that  even  if  I  succeeded  I  had  gained  very  little. 
If  I  continue  in  my  present  occupation  I  must  feel  that  the  influence 
I  exert  is  very  small.  To  spend  all  my  life  teaching  the  rules  of  arith- 
metic and  grammar  —  I  sometimes  shrink  from  it.  It  is  perhaps  as 
good  a  vocation  as  any.  But  the  little  influence  that  I  could  exert  is 
counteracted  by  parents  and  associates  of  the  pupils.  We  cannot  even 
correct  faults  in  the  use  of  language.  How  much  more  difficult,  those 
which  belong  to  the  character,  to  the  thoughts  and  life! 

Hamilton,  May  14,  1844.  This  day  began  reading  a  course  of  law. 
I  think  it  very  doubtful  whether  I  shall  ever  complete  it,  but  the  read- 
ing will  do  me  no  harm.  I  have  so  much  to  do,  however,  so  many 
things  to  attract  my  attention,  that  I  cannot  expect  to  accomplish  much 
this  summer.  I  have  a  larger  school,  a  sick  wife,  my  father's  family, 
and  various  other  things  to  attend  to,  so  that  I  cannot  make  much 
progress.  Last  night  and  this  morning  I  have  looked  over  Hoff'man's 
"  Legal  Study,"  Vol.  I.     I  intend  to  commence  "  Blackstone  "  to-night. 

May  16.  I  have  a  task  before  me;  I  have  never  accustomed  myself 
to  close  and  vigorous  study;  I  have  not  the  patience  to  examine  difficult 
and  knotty  subjects  as  thoroughly  as  I  ought;  I  have  never  been  accus- 
tomed to  confine  myself  at  fixed  and  stated  times.  My  reading  has 
been  very  miscellaneous,  and  I  have  suff^ered  one  thought  to  push  out 
another.  Have  I  not  something  to  do?  This  book  for  a  while  shall 
be  the  record  of  my  success  or  failure. 

May  26,  1844.  About  2  p.  m.  Sunday,  this  26th  of  May,  was  bom  to 
me  a  daughter  (Lucy  Pomeroy).  It  appears  healthy  and  quiet.  This 
is  a  matter  of  joy  to  me,  both  for  its  own  sake  and  that  of  its  mother, 

-4  76  ^- 


LIFE    AT   HAMILTON 

The  loss  of  a  son  about  two  years  ago  has  been  a  source  of  perpetual 
grief  to  her,  and  I  think  has  done  much  to  keep  her  in  poor  health. 
She  will  now  have  something  upon  which  her  thoughts  can  rest.  I  have 
been  asked  how  I  felt  —  I  cannot  tell.  New  joys,  like  new  shoes,  do 
not  fit  easily  to  me.  Sorrows  affect  me  in  nearly  the  same  manner,  — 
I  am  not  overwhelmed  at  once.  A  great  sorrow  stuns  me  rather,  and 
gradually  I  seem  to  become  conscious  of  it.  One  object  after  another 
recalls  it  to  mind,  and  it  is  only  when  I  look  back  that  I  can  form  any 
adequate  conception  of  the  magnitude  of  my  loss.  It  was  so  with  the 
death  of  our  little  boy.  I  hardly  thought  of  it  at  the  time.  But  the 
loss  seemed  to  grow  upon  me;  the  joy  of  other  mothers  compared  to 
the  grief  of  Eunice.  The  innocent  prattle  of  children,  the  thousand  en- 
dearing associations  and  thoughts  which  cluster  around  them,  —  all 
this  joy  will  hide  many  griefs.  May  it  be  lasting!  And  may  she  who 
is  now  born  to  us  live  to  be  an  ornament  to  society,  a  joy  and  comfort 
to  her  parents,  and  a  partaker  of  those  joys  which  will  follow  a  well- 
regulated  heart  and  life. 

May  we  who  have  now  taken  upon  us  the  training  of  an  immortal 
soul  for  life  have  patience  and  wisdom  to  perform  our  duty  aright. 

E.  still  continues  to  improve.  The  child  is  well  and  we  are  all  re- 
joicing. The  prospect  now  is  that  E.  will  recover  her  health  again. 
If  she  should  our  joy  will  know  no  bounds. 

How  strange  it  seems  to  have  such  a  little  one  around,  to  hear  its 
low  moans,  or  its  shrill  cries.  Surely  I  shall  never  forget  the  first  one 
I  heard.  How  much  talk  it  makes!  Wlio  would  have  thought  that  a 
little  helpless  thing  could  be  the  theme  of  so  many  words!  Well,  joy 
to  us,  to  it,  and  to  all! 

June  8.  Since  the  last  date  I  have  been  through  a  series  of  trials 
and  excitements,  of  fears  and  hopes;  E.  has  been  very  sick.  We  almost 
despaired  of  her  life.  I  have  watched  and  hoped  and  feared.  She  is 
now  out  of  danger,  we  think,  and  seems  to  be  getting  well  fast.  Uncle 
James  has  been  willi  us  since  Sunday  the  2d.  T  lliiiik  we  owe  E's  life 
to  him. 

June  30.  My  soul  and  body  are  sometimes  weak  and  faint  with  my 
burdens,  but  I  have  a  strange  strength  and  I  meet  all  my  trials  with 

-<i  77  ^'- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

much  calmness  and  fortitude.  I  have  nearly  overcome  that  sadness 
which  once  so  weighed  me  down.  I  believe  firmly  in  the  Infinite  Love 
with  which  God  regards  His  creatures.  And  I  feel  assured  that  out  of 
this  seeming  evil  good  will  be  adduced,  —  a  higher  and  more  enduring 
good  than  any  which  this  life  can  confer. 

Oct.  10,  1844.  It  is  now  more  than  four  months  since  I  have  written 
in  my  journal,  though  my  life  has  been  full  of  incident.  My  father  has 
departed  to  the  world  of  spirits,  my  wife  has  lain  for  a  long  time 
trembling  upon  tlie  borders  of  the  grave,  and  I  have  been  very  ill  my- 
self, for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  I  have  been  teaching  for  some  weeks, 
but  I  am  very  weak.  Have  had  the  ague.  Occasionally  I  have  been 
obliged  to  leave  school  for  several  days.  Brother  James  and  all  my 
sisters  but  Ellen  have  been  sick. 

My  sister  Almira,  now  Mrs.  Powers,  came  from  Illinois  with  her 
husband  and  two  children  to  make  me  a  visit.  They  arrived  here 
the  day  I  was  taken  ill.  They  were  all  sick  while  here,  and  were 
obliged  on  that  account  to  remain  some  weeks  longer  than  they 
anticipated.  I  had  no  visit  with  them,  being  most  of  the  time  very 
ill  myself. 

March  31,  1845.  School  opened  to-day  with  only  twenty-eight  schol- 
ars. I  feel  somewhat  discouraged  though  I  suppose  it  will  all  prove 
right  in  the  end.  Eimice  and  Rowena  think  of  going  to  New  York  in 
a  few  days.  I  shall  then  be  lonely  enough,  but  I  shall  have  enough  to 
do  to  keep  me  awake  and  active.  I  see  that  my  school  will  go  down 
here  in  spite  of  all  I  can  do,  and  the  sooner  I  can  get  away  from  here 
the  better.  But  I  do  not  regret  coming  to  Hamilton,  tliough  my  lot  has 
been  one  of  suffering  most  of  the  time.  Sickness  and  I  know  not  what 
has  laid  me  low  and  kept  me  so.  But  I  have  become  acquainted  with 
the  New  Church  doctrines,  and  I  think  I  have  found  in  them  what  will 
be  of  more  value  to  me  than  physical  health  or  wealth. 

The  foregoing  is  the  last  entry  in  the  diary  written  in  Hamilton. 

W.  D.  Howells  was  one  of  Father's  pupils  for  a  time  and  thus  refers 
to  his  experience:  "He  stopped  going  there  [to  the  Academy]  because 
the  teacher  gave  up  the  school  to  become  a  New  Church  minister,  and  we 
my  boy's  father  and  mother  were  New  Church  people,  there  must  have 

-"€{  78  ^'- 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

been  some  intimacy  between  them  and  the  teacher  of  which  he  did  not 
know.  But  he  only  stood  in  awe,  not  terror  of  him ;  and  he  was  not  sur- 
prised when  he  met  him  many  long  years  after,  to  find  him  a  man 
peculiarly  wise,  gentle,  and  kind." 

Mr.  Giles  found  congenial  friends  in  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Howells, 
parents  of  the  author.  Mr.  Howells,  Sr.,  edited  for  a  time  a  New 
Church  paper  called  The  Arena.  The  two  families  held  meetings  on 
Sundays  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Howells. 

My  parents  lived  so  continually  in  the  present  that  they  seldom  re- 
ferred to  these  early  days  in  Hamilton.  When  they  did  so  the  severe 
trials  of  these  years  were  ignored,  and  they  spoke  only  of  the  pleasant 
friendships  formed,  and  of  the  greatest  blessing  of  all,  —  the  finding  of 
the  New  Church.  Mother  mentioned  die  extreme  kindness  and  friend- 
liness of  the  people,  saying  they  were  all  in  a  new  country  together  and 
felt  the  necessity  of  bearing  one  another's  burdens. 

As  an  instance  of  the  unremitting  effort  of  Mr.  Giles  to  learn  new 
and  improved  methods  of  teaching,  the  following  reply  from  Horace 
Mann  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  on  Mr.  Giles's  part  is  given. 

To  Chauncey  Giles  from  Horace  Mann 

I  am  always  glad  to  hear  from  any  friend  of  education  and  to  help 
him  if  in  my  power. 

I  have  directed  my  publishers  to  send  you  the  volumes  for  1844 
and  1845,  according  to  your  request.  My  last  report  which  you  re- 
quest to  have  forwarded,  you  will  find  in  the  numbers  of  the  journal 
for  the  current  year. 

There  are  many  valuable  works  on  the  subject  of  education  which 
I  think  that  you  or  any  intelligent  teacher  could  examine  with  profit. 
The  previous  volumes  of  the  common  school  journals  I  have  endeavored 
to  make  useful  and  acceptable  to  teachers,  and  it  has  had  some  of  the 
wisest  men  amongst  us  as  contributors.  You  can  see  by  the  volumes 
now  sent  how  you  like  it. 

If  I  may  be  pardoned  for  mentioning  my  own  works,  I  have  lately 
published  a  volume  of  "  Lectures  on  Education."  Then  tliere  is  "  The 
School  and  the  School  Master,"  by  Dr.  Potter  and  George  B.  Emerson; 
"The  Teacher  Taught,"  by  the  Rev.  Emerson  Davis,  together  with  a 
great  number  of  European  works. 

-•^  79  ]^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

If  I  had  an  opportunity  I  should  like  to  send  you  some  of  the  Ab- 
stracts of  tlie  Massachusetts  School  Returns,  which  contain  compila- 
tions from  the  reports  of  our  school  committees. 

Should  you  ever  visit  this  part  of  the  country  I  should  be  happy  to 
see  you. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  learn  how  Mr.  Giles's  school  appeared  to 
others.  The  following  is  told  by  Mrs.  Giles's  sister,  Rowena  Lakey, 
who  gave  her  assistance  as  teacher  for  some  time.    She  writes: 

The  first  thing  I  observed  in  his  school  was  tlie  perfectly  good  under- 
standing apparent  between  teacher  and  pupils,  and  the  courtesy  and 
kindness  manifested  in  their  intercourse  with  each  and  all.  It  re- 
sembled the  home  life  in  a  well-trained  family,  I  thought.  Then  my 
attention  was  called  to  a  wonderful  clock  which  was  said  to  govern  the 
school.  A  double  stroke  sounded  two  and  a  half  minutes  before  the 
hour  or  half-hour.  The  children  knew  that  they  had  liberty  to  speak 
quietly  if  they  wished  to,  and  the  classes  took  their  places  for  the  next 
recitation  of  their  own  accord.  Another  double  stroke  announced  the 
hour,  and  all  was  still  again. 

Mr.  Giles's  teaching  was  noticeable  for  its  thoroughness.  His  object 
seemed  to  be  to  cultivate  a  love  of  knowledge,  to  form  a  habit  of  ac- 
quiring it;  and  at  the  same  time  he  tried  to  make  it  practical  in  every 
possible  way.  He  sought  to  develop  the  mind  and  character  in  a  natu- 
ral and  orderly  manner  instead  of  forcing  and  cramming  for  display 
or  present  results.  To  illustrate:  in  teaching  a  class  of  beginners  in 
arithmetic,  he  kept  them  practising  notation  and  numeration  until  they 
each  and  all  could  write  and  read  numbers  with  the  greatest  ease  and 
correctness.  Meantime,  to  keep  up  the  interest,  the  exercises  were 
varied  by  some  examples  in  addition  or  by  learning  the  tables,  etc. 
They  practised  on  each  one  of  the  ground  rules  in  the  same  way  until 
they  could  add  and  subtract,  multiply  and  divide,  as  fast  as  they  could 
see  the  figures.  As  there  are  not  examples  enough  given  in  any  arith- 
metic to  cultivate  such  facility,  examples  were  improvised  or  taken 
from  other  books. 

By  this  time  the  multiplication  tables  and  the  other  tables  were  as 

-<i{  80  }>'- 


LIFE   AT   HAMILTON 

familiar  to  the  children  as  A,  B,  C.  They  take  pride  in  buying  and 
furnishing  houses,  making  dry-goods  and  mantua-makers'  bills  and 
settling  them,  all  of  which  they  find  interesting  and  rather  amusing 
exercises;  and  incidentally  the  idea  enters  their  minds  that  this  study 
may  be  of  some  use  to  them  in  tlie  future.  Of  course  it  takes  time  to 
go  through  the  arithmetic  in  this  way,  but  it  was  never  necessary  to  go 
through  a  second  time,  and  as  they  were  not  hurried  on  from  one  thing 
to  another  before  becoming  perfectly  familiar  with  it,  they  found  the 
study  easy  and  delightful  instead  of  hard  and  disagreeable.  And  they 
were  thoroughly  equipped  for  the  higher  mathematics  both  by  tlieir 
habits  of  study  and  the  amount  of  knowledge  already  acquired. 

The  classes  in  natural  sciences  were  encouraged  in  the  study  of  prin- 
ciples presenting  themselves  in  ordinary  life.  The  children  became 
enthusiastic  in  studying  out  the  mechanical  principles  involved  in  the 
ordinary  implements  used  in  their  homes  and  the  streets,  and  the  chemi- 
cal changes  taking  place  under  their  own  eyes. 

The  idea  that  a  schoolbook  ever  exhausted  a  subject  was  never  toler- 
ated, or  that  of  finishing  one's  education  on  leaving  school.  If  the  taste 
for  knowledge  has  been  quickened  and  developed  in  tlie  school,  and 
habits  of  acquiring  it  are  formed  there,  the  business  of  education  is 
merely  well  begun.  Mr.  Giles's  methods  of  teaching  were,  perhaps, 
better  adapted  to  the  development  of  a  well-rounded,  harmonious  char- 
acter than  to  extraordinary  acquirement  in  any  one  direction. 

His  schools  were  die  most  perfect  specimens  of  true  democracy  widi 
which  I  was  ever  brought  in  contact.  The  only  distinction  recognized 
seemed  to  be  moral  worth.  So  far  as  one  could  see,  all  were  on  a  per- 
fect equality.  Tlie  efforts  of  the  teacher  and  his  interest  in  their  indi- 
vidual progress  were  unwearied.  His  patience  was  not  exhausted  by 
die  dullest,  nor  were  his  interest  and  pride  centred  upon  the  gifted. 
All  he  asked  was  that  each  should  try  to  improve  and  do  the  best  he 
could.  You  could  never  guess  who  were  the  children  of  the  rich  or 
influential  patrons.  Some  of  the  children  of  one  of  the  rival  churches 
in  town,  it  is  said,  were  once  told  by  their  parents  to  notice  and  see  if  the 
teacher  were  not  partial  to  So  and  So's  children  of  tlie  other  church.  In 
a  few  days  the  children  reported  that  they  had  watched  carefully  and 

~4  81  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

did  not  see  any  partiality.    It  seems  quite  surprising,  under  the  circum- 
stances, tliat  the  children  should  recognize  Mr.  Giles's  sense  of  justice. 

In  the  primary  department  Mr.  Giles  did  not  insist  upon  the  little 
ones  sitting  up  straight  and  still  by  the  hour,  neither  did  he  expect  them 
to  give  their  attention  to  any  particular  subject  more  than  a  few 
minutes  at  a  time.  Their  lessons  were  very  short  and  rehearsals  fre- 
quent, and  their  slates  and  pencils  were  always  at  hand  ready  for  use, 
and  they  did  use  them  a  great  deal.  There  were  generally  on  one  of 
the  blackboards  some  of  the  capital  letters  written,  or  some  simple 
drawing  easily  imitated,  —  a  cup,  slate,  or  book,  —  which  they  might 
copy  if  they  chose.  They  had  learned  a  variety  of  pretty  little  songs  for 
children  which  they  delighted  in  singing,  and  singing  and  marching 
were  much  relied  upon  to  relieve  the  little  ones  of  the  weariness  of  long 
sitting.  Mr.  Giles's  sister  Caroline  had  charge  of  this  department  for  a 
time  in  Hamilton.  To  see  her  with  her  fine  voice  leading  the  children's 
voices  in  their  marching  music  was  something  one  would  not  willingly 
forget.  The  children  were  as  happy  as  birds  and  as  musical.  One  of 
the  mothers  remarked  that  she  did  not  know  but  it  was  extravagant  to 
send  all  of  her  children  to  Mr.  Giles,  but  when  she  saw  the  little  ones  so 
happy  she  felt  she  could  well  afford  the  extra  expense.  "  Wliy,"  she 
added,  "  they  sing  themselves  to  sleep  every  night  and  awake  in  the 
morning  singing,  and  during  the  day  it  must  be  a  serious  discomfort 
that  a  song  will  not  dispel." 


-^  82  ]^'- 


CHAPTER   IV 
Lebanon  and  Yellow  Springs 

T 

A.  HE  following  information  was  given  to  me  by  Mr.  Josiah  Morrow,  a 
lawyer  of  Lebanon,  Ohio : 

At  Lebanon,  Ohio,  thirty  miles  from  Cincinnati,  the  intelligent  citi- 
zens organized  a  company  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  Lebanon 
Academy.  The  Academy  building,  a  two-story  brick  structure,  is  still 
standing,  with  1844  on  its  date  block. 

The  first  principal  was  C.  C.  Giles,  who  had  for  his  assistants  Wil- 
liam Norris  Edwards,  a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  afterwards  the 
highly  esteemed  superintendent  of  the  Troy,  Ohio,  public  schools,  and 
Miss  Rowena  Lakey.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  academy 
was  regarded  as  a  school  of  a  superior  excellence.  It  was  patronized 
by  the  best  families  of  the  town  of  Lebanon  and  the  county  of  Warren. 
The  principal  was  looked  upon  not  only  as  a  fine  teacher,  but  as  a  man 
of  high  culture.  Many  intelligent  men  and  women  who  had  his  guid- 
ance and  instruction  have  remembered  him  with  gratitude.  In  De- 
cember, 1847,  leading  teachers  in  Ohio  organized  the  Ohio  Teachers' 
Association,  C.  C.  Giles  of  Warren  County  being  one  of  the  vice 
presidents.    Mr.  Giles  remained  at  Lebanon  until  1848. 

Disheartened  by  die  dark  days  at  Hamilton,  Mr.  Giles  hesitated  to 
apply  for  the  position  at  Lebanon.  He  was  encouraged  to  do  so  by 
Mr.  Ogden  Ross,  one  of  the  early  New  Churchmen  of  Ohio.  "  Wlien 
a  man  has  ability  and  wants  to  be  useful,"  said  he,  "  die  Lord  opens 
the  way  for  him.    You  will  get  the  position." 

Mr.  Ross  was  a  warm  friend  of  my  father's,  and  a  man  so  well  be- 
loved that  he  was  popularly  known  as  "  Grandpa  Ross."  He  lived  to 
be  more  than  ninety  years  olil. 

He  was  of  commanding  presence,  and  with  his  long  white  hair  looked 
a  very  patriarch.     The  portrait  of  him  which  we  had  for  many  years 

-*■{  83  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

might  have  been  used  by  an  artist  as  typical  of  beautiful  old  age.  He 
had  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  Tliey  were  all  strong  in  the  New  Church 
faith  and  useful  members  of  their  respective  societies.  The  childlike 
directness  and  integrity  of  Mr.  Ross's  character  are  well  illustrated  by 
the  following  incident.  When  a  would-be  purchaser  for  a  farm  which 
he  had  for  sale  came  to  him,  naming  a  definite  price,  he  said,  "  Oh,  no. 
I  cannot  sell  it  to  you  for  that."  The  man  immediately  offered  more. 
"  No,"  said  Mr.  Ross,  "  I  have  worked  that  farm  many  years  and  I 
know  its  exact  value;  it  is  not  worth  so  much.  I  will  sell  it  for  so  and 
so,"  mentioning  a  much  smaller  sum  than  the  first  offer. 

The  school  in  Lebanon  opened  September  1,  1845.  About  six  weeks 
later,  October  12,  the  diary  records  the  birth  of  a  "  fine  son,"  Frank 
Warren  Giles. 

The  living  conditions  of  those  days  were  not  easy,  and  housekeeping 
with  little  or  no  service  and  the  lack  of  conveniences  made  the  daily 
practical  life  a  struggle.  But  there  was  much  friendly  intercourse  in 
the  way  of  calls,  and  music  and  reading  brightened  the  humdrum  life. 

An  item  of  unceasing  wonder  to  one  of  this  generation  who  reads 
the  diary  and  tlie  letters  of  that  time  is  how  Mrs.  Giles,  with  frequently 
recurring  illnesses  in  the  family,  —  illnesses  which  included  herself,  — 
and  with  the  care  of  young  children,  managed  to  provide  so  good  a 
home,  not  only  for  her  own  family  but  for  the  teachers  and  pupils  whom 
they  boarded.  Again  and  again  in  after  life  Mr.  Giles  has  said,  "  Oh, 
I  never  would  have  been  anything  without  you!  "  And  though  in  her 
modesty  she  kept  in  die  background,  there  must  have  been  a  strong  sus- 
taining influence  in  her  never-failing  devotion.  His  heart  could  rest 
in  her. 

Two  months  after  the  school  opened  Mr.  Giles  writes  to  Uncle  James 
hopefully  of  his  prospects: 

Lebanon,  Nov.  22,  1845. 
My  school  is  much  larger  than  it  was  in  Hamilton  and  I  think  it  will 
be  more  profitable.  Rowena  is  going  into  it  on  the  24th.  I  have  no 
difficulty  in  governing  it  and  I  think  I  shall  give  good  satisfaction.  The 
clouds  which  have  so  long  darkened  the  horizon  seem  to  be  gradually 
breaking  away,  and  the  light  of  hope  dawns  upon  my  pathway.  I  have 
walked  by  faith  for  a  long  time,  often,  it  is  true,  with  doubtful  and 
stumbling  steps,  but  still  I  trust  I  have  never  stopped  entirely.  If  the 
light  which  now  seems  dawning  proves  to  be  a  steady  and  benignant 

-4.  84  }gf=- 


LEBANON  AND  YELLOW  SPRINGS 

one  I  hope  to  move  on  with  a  steady  and  firmer  step.     We  all  have 
enough  to  do  and  are  willing  to  do  all  we  can.     What  can  we  want 


more 


I  believe  I  am  getting  rather  rusty  in  my  literary  studies  and  I  hope 
soon  to  have  time  to  brighten  up  a  little.  The  duties  which  have  so 
constantly  pressed  upon  my  attention  and  demanded  all  my  energies 
for  the  last  five  years  have  unfitted  me  in  some  measure  for  all  literary 
effort.  I  have  read  nothing  of  any  account  for  several  years.  I  am 
very  anxious  to  look  over  my  classical  studies  this  winter  and  shall  do 
it  if  I  have  time.  My  school  requires  a  greater  amount  of  knowledge  of 
the  languages  and  of  higher  mathematics  than  any  I  have  ever  taught 
since  I  left  New  England. 

Mr.  Corwin  left  on  the  24th  for  Washington.  I  was  passing  his  house 
one  Sunday  when  he  rapped  on  the  window  and  invited  me  to  call  in. 
His  family  were  all  at  church  and  1  had  a  long  and  interesting  chat 
with  him.  He  is  certainly  a  man  of  much  intelligence  and  extensive 
reading. 

The  school  prospered  and  throughout  the  year  1846  the  family  was 
well.  In  the  following  cheerful  letter  to  Dr.  Lakey  we  find  a  growing 
interest  and  delight  in  the  New  Church. 

May  13,  1&46. 
The  history  of  the  last  seven  months  is  somewhat  instructive.  I  find 
I  have  enemies  as  well  as  friends.  Some  persons  for  purposes  best 
known  to  themselves  have  tried  hard  to  drive  me  from  tlie  Academy, 
but  they  have  not  succeeded,  and  I  think  the  prospect  is  now  fair  that 
I  shall  remain  and  have  a  fine  school.  Mr.  Prescott  came  to  town  on 
Saturday  and  has  preached  several  discourses  on  the  doctrines  of  the 
New  Church.  It  is  cheering  and  comforting  to  me  to  hear  him.  I 
always  gain  new  strength  every  time,  and  when  he  goes  away  I  feel 
refreshed  and  can  enter  upon  the  duties  of  life  witli  new  vigor.  I  have 
many  blessings.  My  children  grow  finely  and  bid  fair  to  be  intelligent 
and  active;  my  wife  has  much  better  health  than  she  has  had  for  some 
years,  and  my  school  is  the  most  lucrative  one  I  have  ever  liad.  My 
own  health  is  tolerably  good.    My  school  is  very  pleasant  and  orderly. 

-"4  85  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

My  sisters  Maria  and  Ellen  are  with  me.    Our  family  is  large,  but  we 
contrive  to  get  along  very  comfortably. 

May  16,  1846,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  believe  as  I  once  did.  The  doctrines  of 
the  New  Church  have  thrown  new  light  upon  the  Word,  upon  life,  upon 
everything,  and  I  hardly  know  what  my  duty  is  with  regard  to  an  open 
profession  of  adherence  to  those  doctrines. 

The  period  of  sunshine  was  brief.  In  July,  1847,  Mr.  Giles  again 
became  ill,  suffering  from  both  pleurisy  and  sciatica;  and  the  baby 
too  was  ailing.  With  a  pathetic  courage  that  is  truly  appealing,  my 
dear  mother  writes  to  her  tried  friend  and  counsellor,  Dr.  Lakey. 

To  Dr.  James  Lakey  from  Mrs.  Giles 

Lebanon,  July  2,  1847. 

I  know  not  what  to  write.  Mr.  Giles  gains  so  slowly,  is  still  so 
feeble,  his  cough  is  so  painful,  he  has  so  little  appetite,  and  withal 
seems  to  feel,  as  he  says,  that  it  will  end  in  something  worse,  tliat  I 
have  no  heart  to  write  anything.    I  wish  you  were  here. 

Aug.  29,  1847. 

Nearly  a  mondi  has  elapsed  since  I  commenced  this  letter.  Our 
little  boy  has  struggled  through  a  wasting  sickness.  For  a  time  he 
appeared  vibrating  between  life  and  death,  but  is  now  decidedly  better 
and  has  gained  very  fast  for  the  last  ten  days. 

Mr.  Duverger  leaves  us  for  your  city  to-morrow.  He  will  hand  this 
letter  to  you.  I  was  intending  to  have  sent  it  by  Mr.  Giles,  but  our 
little  boy  was  so  weak  and  required  so  much  nursing  that  I  was  too 
fatigued  to  finish  it.  Mr.  Giles  expects  to  go  to  Cincinnati  the  last  of 
this  week.  I  should  like  very  much  to  have  him  bring  up  your  portrait 
if  he  feels  strong  enough  to  do  so. 

Should  I  get  up  well  from  my  confinement  I  think  of  taking  some 
day  boarders  this  winter,  as  expenses  have  been  enormous  since  Mr. 
Giles's  sickness,  and  though  Chauncey  says  nothing  I  think  he  feels 
sad  and  troubled. 

-4  86  ^'- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

Do  you  hear  from  New  York  often?  It  has  been  a  long  time  since 
I  have  written  or  heard  from  there.    Caroline  sends  much  love. 

In  the  previous  spring  Caroline  Lakey  had  come  to  assist  Rowena 
in  the  school. 

Wliile  Mother  thought  to  sustain  Father  and  lighten  expenses  he  on 
his  part  sought,  even  while  ill,  to  cheer  her  sadness,  for  he  writes: 

Why  do  you  look  so  sad,  Dearest?  Do  not  think  that  the  sun  has 
departed  because  a  passing  cloud  obscures  his  brightness.  He  will 
soon  reappear  and  then  the  present  will  be  as  bright  as  ever.  We  have 
a  comfortable  home,  a  pleasant  room,  a  few  books,  and  roast  apples 
and  chicken  broth  enough  to  last  until  we  get  more. 

If  we  do  suffer  some  pain,  and  if  we  are  not  the  richest  and  the 
handsomest  and  wisest  in  the  world,  why,  we  are  not  the  poorest  nor 
the  ugliest  nor  the  foolishest.  If  we  do  have  some  care,  and  some 
pain,  and  some  glimpses  of  the  future  which  are  not  quite  so  bright, 
we  have  an  alchemy  in  our  hearts  which  ought  to  turn  more  stubborn 
things  tlian  these  into  pure  gold.  Why,  Dearest,  have  we  not  almost 
all  things?  Wliat  have  we  not?  Come,  let  us  comit  our  negative  pos- 
sessions. We  have  not  so  much  wealth  as  Croesus,  we  are  not  as  wise 
as  Solomon,  though  I  believe  we  have  some  things  of  which  he  never 
dreamed.  Could  he  write  a  letter  to  his  wife  when  he  was  lying  on  the 
sofa?    Did  he  have  any  sofa?    Could  he  get  any  paper? 

We  are  not  as  healthy  as  the  New  Zealanders,  our  digestion  is  not  so 
good  as  that  of  the  ostrich,  but  we  have  some  strength  left.  Why,  my 
Dearest,  should  tlie  past  cast  a  shadow  over  the  present  and  tlie  future? 
And  why  should  the  future  reflect  back  that  darkness  upon  the  present 
and  the  past.  Let  not  the  fear  of  coming  evils  create  real  ones  in  the 
present. 

The  future  has  trials  for  us,  no  doubt.  If  it  had  not,  wliere  would 
be  our  fortitude?  It  has  joys,  too,  I  believe,  —  many  deep  and  pure 
joys.  So  has  the  present,  if  we  do  not  throw  them  away  or  neglect  them. 
Fear  no  imaginary  lions.  Dearest;  they  are  chained.  Because  you  have 
a  good  roasted  apple  to-day  which  tastes  well,  do  not  fear  that  the 
next  one  will  be  too  sour  or  too  bitter  or  too  anything.     If  you  have 

'■*^  87  ^•~ 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

pleasures  now  you  will  be  more  likely  to  find  some  to-morrow.  If  one 
good  is  taken  from  us  let  it  go.  There  are  other  things  as  good,  prob- 
ably better.  He  who  takes  from  us  a  penny  and  leaves  us  a  guinea  does 
us  a  favour.  So  it  may  be  with  us.  If  we  are  deprived  of  one  thing  it 
may  lead  us  to  pursue  and  obtain  something  better.  Saul  no  doubt 
sorrowed  at  the  loss  of  his  father's  asses  but  he  found  a  kingdom  while 
searching  for  them.  So  it  may  be  with  us.  If  we  lose  riches  (of  which 
there  is  not  much  danger  until  we  get  them)  we  may  find  wealth  of  an- 
other and  better  kind.  If  we  have  poor  health,  even,  we  may  find  some- 
tliing  infinitely  better,  a  much  higher  degree  of  moral  excellence.  But 
if  we  lose  all  we  possess  we  cannot  lose  what  we  are,  we  cannot  lose 
our  love  for  each  other.  We  cannot  lose  our  immortality  if  we  are 
good.  If  we  are  to  suffer  pain  all  our  days,  as  I  expect  to,  every  day 
makes  one  the  less,  and  at  farthest,  our  change  can't  be  far  off,  and  if 
we  have  done  well  then  shall  we  receive  the  reward  of  our  doings. 
Then  pain,  sorrow,  fear,  and  all  anxiety  for  the  future,  all  regrets  for 
the  past,  all  doubt  and  pain  for  the  present  will  be  behind  us,  and  we 
can  look  forward  to  eternity  without  a  shadow  of  anything.  All  will 
be  bright,  joyful,  glorious.  Cheer  up  then,  my  love,  —  while  I  eat 
my  supper. 

From  Dr.  Lakey  to  Mrs.  Giles 

Sept.  2,  1847. 

Your  husband  spent  very  little  time  with  me  when  here  in  August. 

I  fear  it  will  take  time  to  restore  his  body  and  mind  to  the  state  that 

they  were  in  at  the  beginning  of  1844.     I  then,  in  September,  "  saved 

him  so  as  by  fire."     His  losses  by  sickness  have  not  exceeded  your 

father's  losses  from  the  same  cause  between  1812  and   1818.     But 

your  father  suffered  nothing  from  the  dishonesty  of  a  friend.     [For  ten 

years  Mr.  Giles  struggled  to  pay  debts  contracted  by  endorsing  a  note 

for  an  irresponsible  friend.]      Does  the  vinegar  that  I  sent  you  in 

March  hold  out?    You  have  the  casks  and  can  make  good  vinegar  from 

cider  or  ripe  grapes.    Your  mother  made  her  own  vinegar  and  it  was 

always  good.    She  put  into  the  cask  her  cold  tea,  which  wasteful  wives 

always  throw  away.    A  wasteful  wife!     Many  an  honest  man  has  been 

-<■{  88  }§e- - 


LEBANON  AND  YELLOW  SPRINGS 

ruined  by  her,  has  split  upon  that  rock.    I  have  no  fears  for  my  nieces 

on  that  head  for,  like  Ensign 's  uncle,  "  I  have  full  confidence  in 

the  blood." 

The  sixth  anniversary  of  your  marriage  is  near.  It  ought  to  be  cele- 
brated by  a  dinner.  Were  I  near  enough  I  would  bring  a  bottle  of  wine 
and  join  in  the  festivity. 

After  Mr.  Giles  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  reopen  his  school  he 
writes  in  his  diary: 

Sept.  11,  1847.  My  sickness  has  left  my  mind  weak  as  well  as 
my  body;  I  am  very  gloomy.  The  future  seems  dark  indeed,  but  I 
shall  get  along  somehow.  If  I  once  had  firm  health!  But  I  must  make 
the  best  use  of  what  I  have.  Spiritually,  I  do  not  seem  to  have  gained 
much.  The  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  have  reached  my  understand- 
ing but  not  my  will.  Sometimes  I  have  thought  I  was  gaining,  but  I 
can  hardly  tell. 

This  letter  to  Uncle  James  gives  a  good  account  of  the  autumn's 
experiences : 

Lebanon,  Sept.  24,  1847. 

Being  prevented  by  lameness  from  going  to  school  to-day,  I  will 
spend  a  part  of  my  leisure  in  writing  to  you. 

What  you  surmised  about  my  leg  is  true.  The  sciatic  nerve  is  af- 
fected, and  I  am  tortured  at  times  with  the  most  excruciating  pain; 
sometimes  I  can  hardly  walk  across  the  floor.  I  had  my  classes  come 
to  my  house  to-day  and  recite  to  me.  So  my  school  has  gone  on  as 
usual. 

On  the  19th  Eunice  was  confined  by  the  birth  of  a  daughter.  The 
child  (lid  not  seem  to  be  well  from  the  first  and  died  in  twenty  hours, 
making  a  brief  passage  through  this  world  of  pain  and  care.  Eunice 
seems  to  be  doing  very  well.  I  have  never  before  seen  her  so  strong 
and  look  so  well  under  similar  circumstances.  If  nothing  unforeseen 
occurs  I  think  she  will  get  up  very  well.  The  rest  of  llie  family  is  well. 
We  have  two  boys  boarding  with  us.  We  have  accommodations  for 
four  more.  If  wc  could  get  them  we  should  be  much  pleased.  It  is  the 
only  way  in  which  anything  can  be  made  by  teaching  in  this  place. 

-4  89  )S^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Rowena  is  preparing  to  go  to  New  Orleans.  She  spends  only  half 
a  day  in  school,  and  I  suppose  she  will  not  spend  any  time  before  long. 
The  school  is  so  small  that  I  can  get  along  very  well  with  Caroline  and 
John.  Elizabeth  and  Mr.  Lillie  have  given  her  a  very  warm  invitation 
to  spend  the  winter  with  them,  and  I  have  advised  her  to  accept  the  in- 
vitation. She  has  led  a  miserable  existence  for  a  long  time  on  account 
of  poor  health,  and  I  have  thought  the  experiment  of  spending  a  winter 
in  a  warmer  climate  was  well  worth  a  trial. 

The  diary  and  letters  record  the  discouragements  in  connection  with 
the  school.  It  remains  for  Miss  Lakey,  who,  as  in  Hamilton,  acted  as 
Mr.  Giles's  assistant,  to  draw  a  brighter  picture  of  the  school  itself. 

Mr.  Giles  organized  a  club  which  met  in  the  long  winter  evenings 
and  served  a  good  use  in  the  days  when  books  were  less  common  than 
now,  in  awakening  an  interest  in  historical  and  literary  subjects.  Music 
was  an  important  feature  of  the  meetings,  as  it  was  of  the  school  exer- 
cises. Mr.  Giles  had  a  happy  way  of  overcoming  the  difficulties  of 
writing  compositions  by  asking  the  children  to  write  descriptions  of 
familiar  and  interesting  things.  Their  exercises  were  sometimes  given 
the  form  of  letters  to  real  or  imaginary  people. 

The  school  day  always  began  with  devotional  exercises,  —  reading 
from  the  Word,  music  and  prayer,  which  was  often  followed  by  a  little 
morning  talk,  which  never  occupied  more  tlian  five  minutes  and  seldom 
more  than  two.  A  practical  suggestion  was  offered,  current  events 
alluded  to,  or  the  effects  of  some  historical  event  were  noted.  The 
death  of  some  distinguished  man  was  mentioned,  discoveries  and  inven- 
tions were  spoken  of,  anything  having  a  tendency  to  expand  and  broaden 
the  visible  horizon  of  these  active-minded  young  people  was  seized  and 
utilized  for  this  purpose.  If  the  children  asked  hard  questions  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  did  not  know  but  would  look  into  it. 

He  took  educational  journals  and  kept  himself  abreast  of  the  times 
in  his  work.  Methods  of  interesting  his  pupils  were  a  constant  study 
witli  him.  His  heart  was  in  his  work,  and  of  course  from  year  to  year 
he  was  constantly  perfecting  himself  in  it. 

Very  pleasant  memories  of  this  school  in  Lebanon  linger  in  the  minds 

-"€{  90  ^- - 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

of  many  who  there  came  under  Mr.  Giles's  care.  One  of  his  pupils 
speaks  most  affectionately  of  Mr.  Giles,  and  says,  "  Lebanon  has  never 
had  a  teacher  so  accomplished  as  he,  nor  one  whose  memory  is  so 
warmly  cherished."  The  same  friend  tells  an  interesting  incident. 
The  Academy  was  new  and  the  grounds  nearly  bare  of  trees.  The 
first  spring  after  going  to  Lebanon  Mr.  Giles  one  day  took  the  boys  to 
the  woods  with  a  large  wagon  and  picks  and  spades.  There  was  much 
fun  among  the  boys  as  each  took  up  a  tree  and  planted  it  on  the  Acad- 
emy grounds  under  Mr.  Giles's  direction.  As  the  planting  was  going 
on  Mr.  Giles  suggested  that  some  day  they  might  come  with  tlieir  chil- 
dren and  sit  under  the  shade  of  their  trees.  They  were  a  bright,  am- 
bitious, studious  set  of  scholars,  and  many  of  diem  have  since  held 
positions  of  trust  and  influence.  One,  at  least,  in  fulfillment  of  Mr. 
Giles's  prophecy,  has  taken  his  son  to  the  scene  of  his  own  school  days 
and  sat  with  him  in  the  shade  of  the  tree  which  he  planted. 

Mr.  Thomas  Corwin,  the  well-known  senator,  was  one  of  the  family 
friends  in  Lebanon.  In  a  letter  written  to  Uncle  James  Mr.  Giles  de- 
scribes the  effect  of  his  eloquence  upon  his  hearers: 

We  have  nodiing  in  our  town  that  is  new  or  interesting.  The  Demo- 
crats tried  to  get  up  some  excitement  yesterday  by  celebrating  the  anni- 
versary of  the  battle  of  Monterey,  but  it  did  not  succeed.  There  were 
hardly  a  baker's  dozen  of  them.  Mr.  Corwin  is  here  occasionally.  He 
made  a  great  speech  at  the  Wliig  meeting  a  short  time  ago.  All  who 
heard  it  thought  it  excelled  the  one  he  gave  in  the  senate  last  winter. 
You  may  judge  something  of  its  power  when  you  know  that  he  kept 
an  audience  which  had  already  listened  to  a  speech  of  two  hours, 
in  a  densely  crowded  room  with  the  mercury  above  eighty  degrees, 
two  hours  and  three  quarters,  as  still  as  though  the  fate  of  every  one 
were  hanging  on  his  words.  He  was  very  much  affected;  at  times 
could  hardly  go  on.  Governor  Bebl),  John  Woods,  L.  D.  Campbell, 
and  others  wlio  have  become  hardened  by  many  years'  service  in  po- 
litical life,  wept  like  children.  I  believe  Mr.  Corwin  is  earnest  in  his 
opposition  to  tlie  war  and  I  think  he  will  be  heard  from  again  when 
Congress  is  assembled. 

-4  91  ^~ 


■o' 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 
In  January  Mr.  Giles  makes  the  following  entries  in  his  diary: 

Lebanon,  Jan.  1,  1848.  My  health  has  been  very  poor  and  I  have 
concluded  to  give  up  my  school.  I  cannot  do  justice  to  myself  or  to  my 
scholars.  Hardly  a  week  elapses  in  which  I  do  not  have  to  be  out  of 
my  school  more  or  less.  I  have  resolved  to  establish  a  family  board- 
ing school  for  boys.  I  think  it  will  be  more  profitable  and  less  labori- 
ous. I  can  make  as  much  from  one  boarder  at  forty  dollars  a  quarter 
as  I  can  from  ten  day  scholars,  so  that  ten  scholars  would  be  as  profit- 
able as  ninety.  I  record  this  as  my  conviction  here  and  will  next  year 
give  the  actual  result. 

Eimice  and  myself  have  joined  the  New  Church.  A  small  society 
has  been  formed  in  this  place  and  we  have  added  our  names  to  the 
number.  This  society  is  small  in  die  world  yet,  but  I  believe  it  is  des- 
tined to  meet  a  want  which  has  long  been  felt,  —  a  rational  religion,  — 
one  that  will  satisfy  not  only  the  heart  but  the  understanding. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  New  Church  people  that  the  society  in  Leba- 
non of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  became  members  soon  after  moving 
to  that  place  was  a  successor  to  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  west 
of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  It  was  founded  by  Rev.  Thos.  Newport, 
who  came  to  Ohio  from  Delaware.  He  was  one  of  those  who  came 
into  the  Church  through  Miss  Barclay,  of  Philadelphia,  after  her  re- 
moval to  Bedford,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Newport  was  a  brother-in-law 
of  Rev.  David  Powers,  Sr.  He  organized  die  society  in  Lebanon  under 
the  name  of  the  Turtle  Creek  Society  in  1812,  and  was  ordained  by 
Mr.  Powers  in  1818.  He  was  also  the  founder  of  the  Western  Associa- 
tion, the  forerimner  of  the  Western  Convention. 

In  this  letter  to  Dr.  Lakey  Mr.  Giles  explains  somewhat  in  detail  his 
position: 

Lebanon,  Jan.  23,  1848. 

I  do  not  wish  to  obtain  any  day  scholars,  and  I  would  not  care  if 
I  did  not  have  more  than  ten  boys  the  first  session  —  never  more  than 
twenty  or  twenty-five.  Fifteen  would  be  a  good  number,  and  with  that 
number  I  am  very  sure  I  could  clear  a  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

The  house  which  we  are  now  occupying  was  sold  by  the  sheriff 
yesterday  and  we  are  warned  to  leave  in  two  weeks.     We  can  get  no 

-'<{  92  ^'- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

house  in  town  at  this  time,  and  I  suppose  we  shall  be  compelled  to  pack 
up  our  furniture  and  board  for  a  while. 

Mr.  Corwin  is  friendly.  I  think  he  and  his  family  are  the  warmest 
friends  we  have  in  town.  I  have  never  corresponded  with  him,  though 
I  wrote  to  him  some  time  ago  making  known  my  plan  and  asking  for 
some  letters.  In  his  reply  he  says  he  "  sincerely  regrets  my  determina- 
tion to  leave  the  Academy,"  but  "  necessity  in  this  as  in  all  other  like 

cases  makes  her  own  law."    He  gave  me  a  letter  to of  your  city 

and  one  to  a  gentleman  in  New  Orleans.  The  letters  were  as  compli- 
mentary as  I  could  ask. 

I  see  only  two  obstacles  to  my  success  now,  —  health  and  a  house. 
My  health  is  very  poor  and  is  growing  worse.  I  intend  to  take  some 
active  measures  for  recovery  as  soon  as  my  school  is  out.  Eunice  and 
the  children  are  better  now  but  have  been  quite  unwell.  Caroline  will 
take  a  class  in  drawing  when  the  session  closes,  and  when  the  navigation 
opens  will  return  to  New  York. 

The  decision  to  give  up  the  Academy  in  Lebanon  was  decidedly  op- 
posed by  the  relatives,  who  wrote  quite  freely  expressing  their  opinions. 

From  Miss  Rowena  Lakey  to  Mr.  Chauncey  Giles 

New  Orleans,  Jan.  9,  18t8. 
It  is  with  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  I  learn  by  your  last  letter  that  you 
have  nearly  determined  upon  leaving  the  Academy.  Not  that  I  distrust 
your  judgment  as  to  what  is  right  and  best,  or  your  ability  to  carry  out 
your  convictions;  but  I  do  fear  that  in  a  fit  of  despondency,  resulting 
from  your  most  excruciating  pain,  you  may  have  been  blinded  to  your 
own  position  in  Lebanon.  I  do  not  believe  you  or  your  school  has  a 
single  opposer  that  would  dare  undertake  to  bring  a  charge  against  you 
or  your  doings.  There  are  a  few  families  who  know  they  have  wronged 
you,  perhaps  ignorantly  and  possibly  maliciously.  No  doubt  your 
prosperity  and  even  presence  is  an  eyesore  to  them,  and  they  would 
gladly  see  you  remove  from  the  institution  and  will  come  out  once  in 
a  while  and  get  up  some  excitement  for  the  accomplishment  of  that  ob- 
ject.   This  is  to  be  expected  in  Lebanon  and  every  other  place  as  long  as 

-^  93  }3^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY    GILES 

human  nature  is  what  it  is.  But  you  have  many  and  warm  friends 
lliere,  those  whose  good  will  and  esteem  have  been  elicited  by  your 
wisdom  and  goodness.  You  have  passed  through  the  ordeal  which 
prejudice  and  bigotry  prepare  for  trying  and  proving  strangers,  and 
emerged,  I  am  proud  to  say,  unscathed  and  triumphant.  I  consider  the 
decisive  battle  won.  You  have  earned  the  confidence  and  respect  of  a 
vast  majority  of  the  community,  and  you  have  a  right  now  to  make  it 
serviceable  to  yourself  and  the  institution.  You  ought  to  be  able  to 
gain  a  comfortable  livelihood  and  somediing  more  from  it.  If  you 
cannot  I  suppose  you  will  be  obliged  to  leave,  but  any  sudden  change 
will  be  attended  with  great  pecuniary  sacrifice  of  course,  and  you  wiU 
not  expect  to  realize  much  more  dian  a  subsistence  from  your  boys' 
school  the  first  year,  even  if  everything  should  prove  propitious.  Would 
it  not  be  better  to  retain  the  Academy  for  six  months  or  a  year  and 
pay  rent  until  you  have  all  suitable  arrangements  made  to  commence 
your  private  school  to  advantage?  What  say  Eunice  and  the  rest  of 
the  folks  to  the  proposed  change?  Mr.  Corwin  is  a  true  friend,  I  be- 
lieve, and  you  have  a  host  of  others  not  less  true,  not  as  influential 
perhaps,  but  who  really  appreciate  your  efforts  and  wish  you  success. 
Northern  names  will  not  be  as  efficient  for  you  here  as  Southern.  No 
doubt  you  will  do  what  is  for  the  best,  only  do  not  act  upon  plans  made 
while  suffering  from  one  of  those  dreadful  paroxysms. 

My  thoughts  are  with  you  in  Lebanon  every  day.  I  mingle  with  you 
in  the  schoolroom  and  home  around  the  fireside.  Do  tell  me  how  my 
classes  get  along  in  school. 

In  this  letter  to  Mrs.  Giles  of  mingled  historical  references,  advice 
as  to  the  bringing  up  of  children,  together  with  an  offer  of  sundry  mis- 
cellaneous articles.  Uncle  James  has  also  his  comments  to  make  upon 
the  proposed  change  of  plans: 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  8,  1848. 

Yours  of  Dec.  28th  in  answer  to  mine  of  Dec.  4th  was  duly  received. 

This  is  an  anniversary  of  the  last  land  battle  in  the  War  of  1812.  It 
is  actually  remembered,  and  its  date  duly  kept  by  many  of  our  people. 
And  why?     Because  certain  politicians  had  an  axe  to  grind  and  drove 

™^  94  ^•- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

this  solitary  fact  into  the  brains  of  a  bamboozled  people  in  1828  and 
1832.  No  result  whatever  followed  the  victory  of  New  Orleans;  we 
could  say  we  had  killed  the  English  and  that  our  enemy  had  got  the 
last  kick  in  the  contest.  The  date  of  no  other  battle  by  sea  or  land 
is  known  at  all  by  our  enlightened  yeomanry  or  by  our  college  gradu- 
ates,—  I  mean  the  War  of  1812,  which  lasted  until  1815.  Quite  a 
portion  of  our  countrymen  place  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  after  that 
of  Waterloo,  among  whom  may  be  reckoned  a  large  number  of  editors. 
I  have  been  frequently  asked  by  well-dressed  young  men  which  battle 
was  first,  altliough  the  date  of  both  battles  has  been  in  all  tlie  almanacs 
for  the  last  thirty-two  years. 

Possibly  you  may  think,  "What  is  that  to  me?  "  Much  to  you,  for 
you  are  the  mother  of  fine  children.  Let  it  be  your  care  that  they  do 
not  add  to  the  mountain  mass  of  ignorance  that  overshadows  our  land. 

My  mother  and  my  older  sisters  first  told  me  of  the  Revolution. 
They  sowed  the  seeds  which  brought  forth  fruit  in  after  time,  when 
tliey  had  gone  to  eternity. 

Mothers  can  be  useful  without  literature.  Your  stem  Aunt  Eunice 
could  not  write,  and  it  was  said  that  she  could  not  read,  and  yet  she 
knew  more  than  many  of  her  sex  that  could,  but  did  not,  read. 

But  that  iron  age  has  passed  away,  and  individuals  like  nations  can 
unite  high  intelligence  with  iron  industry  and  great  strength. 

I  have  been  unfortunate  in  my  efforts  to  aid  you  and  your  sister.  In 
May  last  I  offered  to  give  twenty-five  dollars'  worth  of  cabinet  furni- 
ture, but  none  of  my  nieces  seemed  to  want  any  articles  in  that  line,  al- 
though it  is  said  to  be  thirty  per  cent,  cheaper  than  in  1841  when  your 
husband  made  his  purchases  for  you.  If  a  communication  had  been 
established  between  Lebanon  and  Cincinnati  by  team  I  would  have  sent 
you  the  following  articles: 

1.  A  looking-glass,  cost  S25. 

2.  One  painting,  cost  $45. 

3.  An  ice  chest,  S5. 

4.  A  "  right  smart  chance  "  of  China  tea,  coffee,  etc. 

The  articles  with  their  prices  marked  are  what  they  cost  me  in  cash. 
Now  I  do  not  know  a  single  teamster  in  your  good  towii  except 

-■•«{  95  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Thomas  Corwin  the  "  Waggon  Boy,"  and  he  has  long  since  laid  up  his 
whip.  The  articles  are  still  kept  for  your  "  use  and  behoof,"  and  for 
you  "  to  have  and  to  hold."  If  you  had  lived  in  Hamilton  I  would  have 
sent  them  by  canal  at  my  own  expense.  Your  husband's  sickness  no 
doubt  prevented  his  attending  to  this  business. 

I  am  glad  that  you  and  your  husband  have  joined  a  church.  It  will 
extend  your  acquaintance  and  gain  you  friends.  I  am  sorry  that  the 
"  New  Jerusalem  "  is  so  small  and  that  it  is  not  likely  to  increase  much. 
It  requires  too  much  study  and  a  more  advanced  cultivation  of  intellect 
than  exists  at  present,  to  understand  its  doctrinal  mysteries.  Its  peace- 
ful maxims  are  worthy  of  praise;  they  are  the  precepts  not  of  Confu- 
cius but  of  a  greater,  eveh  Christ. 

Jan.  9. 
Chauncey's  letter  is  received  and  will  be  answered  soon.  His  board- 
ing-school plan  may  succeed,  but  I  fear  not  in  the  coimtry.  I  think  he 
would  better  stay  among  men  than  go  into  the  woods.  It  will  require 
capital  to  set  a  school  going  in  a  solitary  place.  But  I  must  think 
longer  before  I  can  give  any  valuable  advice. 

From  the  diary: 

It  is  now  evening.  I  have  been  up  street  and  down  street,  have  col- 
lected $8.40  of  my  old  school  bills,  and  have  handed  in  my  resignation 
to  the  trustees  of  the  Academy.  If  I  fail  in  my  new  plan  I  think  it 
would  be  well  for  me  to  sell  everything  I  have,  clear  myself  of  debt, 
and  begin  anew.  I  may  yet  be  able  to  do  something  more  than  make  a 
bare  living.  I  have  failed  in  some  respects  when  I  might  have  avoided 
it,  and  I  have  many  tilings  in  my  own  mental  habits  which  I  ought  to 
reform,  and  I  might  change  some  things  in  my  family  with  great  ad- 
vantage to  them  and  to  myself.  I  spend  too  much  of  my  time  in  read- 
ing and  too  little  in  conversing  with  my  family,  and  my  thoughts  dwell 
too  much  on  my  pecuniary  affairs,  and  I  have  too  many  fears  for  the 
results  of  my  operations.  I  must  try  to  act  more  and  think  less  of  un- 
profitable things.  Well,  a  new  year  is  before  me,  or  rather  all  years 
are  before  me.     Shall  I  not  act  as  if  the  character  of  them  all  was  in 

-4  96  ^■- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

some  measure  to  be  influenced  by  each  act  of  every  day.  I  have  a  wife 
and  two  children  dear  to  me  as  life,  and  I  must  do  all  I  can  to  con- 
tribute to  their  happiness  and  permanent  well-being. 

Contrary  to  the  agreement  made  with  them  when  taking  charge  of 
the  Academy  at  Lebanon,  the  trustees  now  wished  to  charge  Mr.  Giles 
rent  for  the  use  of  the  building.  This  he  refused  to  pay.  As  he  con- 
cisely observes  in  his  diary,  "  The  trustees  sued  me  and  I  beat  them." 

Rowena  Lakey  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles 

New  Orleans,  April  25,  1848. 

Oh,  don't  I  rejoice  in  the  result  of  your  lawsuit!  Are  the  Leban- 
onians  crazy,  or  what  possesses  them?  If  it  is  an  "evil  spirit"  I  hope 
you  have  exorcised  it.  I  can  easily  imagine  that  you  have  not  been 
reposing  on  a  bed  of  roses  for  the  last  few  months.  The  breaking 
up  and  removals  in  the  school  and  at  home  would  be  a  terrible  task 
under  any  circumstances,  but  with  the  addition  of  sickness  and  the 
spite  and  malice  of  a  set  of  bigots,  I  almost  wonder,  as  I  rejoice,  at 
your  present  good  prospects  and  hope  Eunice's  indisposition  will  dis- 
appear with  the  anxiety  and  agitation  that  I  am  sure  must  have  been 
sufficient  cause  for  it.  You  have  the  best  wishes  of  us  all  in  your  new 
enterprise,  but  whether  we  shall  be  able  to  do  anything  more  remains 
to  be  seen.  I  think  if  I  had  some  of  your  circulars  to  distribute  they 
might  excite  tlic  attention  of  some  of  our  business  men  who  educate 
their  children  North  and  spend  their  summers  there.  Have  you  any 
scholars  engaged  in  Yellow  Springs?  You  must  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  citizens,  and  as  far  as  possible  excite  in  them  an  interest 
in  your  success.  If  you  had  received  the  hearty  cooperation  of  half 
of  the  trustees  in  Lebanon  there  is  not  a  school  in  the  state  that  could 
compete  with  you.  School  teachers  cannot  be  independent  of  society 
if  they  would.  That  they  were  never  made  to  live  alone  is  certain.  So 
I  would  ri'coinnu'tid  taking  advantage  of  it  and  mingle  freely  with  the 
society  of  the  place  at  iirst,  and  nut  let  first  impressions  tell  of  the  mis- 
anthrope or  ascetic. 

Elisabeth  wishes  to  know  if  you  do  not  wish  Jack  for  a  scholar  this 
summer.    She  designs  to  have  Mr.  Giles  educate  him. 


'C 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

In  April,  1848,  the  little  family  again  changes  its  surroundings  and 
somewhat  its  manner  of  life  by  going  to  Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  Giles  is 
no  longer  subject  to  tlie  caprice  of  dominating  trustees,  but  begins  in 
this  lovely  village  a  small  home  boarding  school  for  boys.  Family 
letters  and  tlie  diary  give  many  details  of  tlieir  life  here  and  of  tlie 
steps  which  led  to  it.    To  the  latter  we  will  turn. 

Yellow  Springs,  April  28,  1848.  A  few  days  after  my  school  closed 
in  Lebanon  we  discontinued  housekeeping  and  commenced  boarding 

at  Mr.  's.     We  remained  there  until  the  22nd  of  April,  when  we 

removed  to  this  place.  My  time  during  the  stay  there  was  principally 
spent  in  settling  my  business  and  getting  ready  to  come  here.  Some 
of  the  time  I  was  in  Cincinnati.  My  health  improved  some,  and  I  am 
now  able  to  do  much  more  than  when  I  left  my  school.  The  trustees 
sued  me  for  the  rent  of  the  Academy  and  I  beat  them.  Many  hard 
things  were  said,  but  I  finally  got  away  and  am  now  making  arrange- 
ments for  my  new  school. 

The  interpolation  of  the  following  letters  gives  some  additional  light 
upon  events  which  Mr.  Giles  subsequently  notes  in  his  diary: 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  Dr.  Lakey 

Cincinnati,  June  8,  1848. 

Yours  mailed  May  8th  is  now  before  me.  I  have  delayed  answering 
it  until  you  get  warm  in  the  new  bed  to  which  you  have  removed. 

You  mistake  in  saying  that  I  am  opposed  to  "  all  boarding  schools." 
My  remarks  applied  to  those  "  where  females  finished  their  education  " 
and  to  those  alone.  A  boarding  school  for  boys  I  have  never  seen,  and 
of  course  could  give  no  opinion  of  its  merits.  Your  Uncle  James  never 
gives  his  opinion  blindly  or  in  the  dark.  Your  chances  of  success 
seem  good,  better  than  most  earthly  enterprises.  But  after  all,  my  dear 
girl,  teaching  is  a  very  uncertain  business,  as  your  own  remark  shows; 
you  cleared  five  hundred  dollars  in  Lebanon  not  by  teaching  but  by 
boarding  and  books. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Chapin  of  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  is  now  eighty- five; 
in  1811  he  told  me  that  teaching  would  never  do  to  ride  double  with, 

~'^  98  ^'~ 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

meaning  that  it  would  never  support  a  man  with  a  family.  I  mentioned 
this  to  your  husband  in  1842,  and  advised  him  to  seek  some  surer  busi- 
ness. On  the  night  of  Feb.  16th  I  sat  up  until  twelve  to  write  you  a 
letter,  the  receipt  of  which  you  have  not  mentioned  in  yours  of  May  6th. 
I  also  sent  a  small  bundle,  the  contents  of  which  were  described,  but 
have  not  heard  from  you  whether  it  was  even  welcome.  Business  men 
say  "  the  smallest  favors  thankfully  received,"  and  perhaps  we  may 
learn  from  them.  A  friendly  letter  should  always  be  acknowledged, 
even  if  months  and  years  intervene. 

Let  me  say  a  few  words  concerning  your  eldest  child.  Perhaps  John 
Wesley's  mother  would  be  a  good  model  for  you.  She  did  not  tell 
her  boys  aught  of  letters  until  they  were  five,  then  put  them  into  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  in  five  days  young  Jack  mastered  his 
alphabet  and  could  read.  But  a  girl  of  four  is  as  old  in  mind  as  a  boy 
of  five.  Wesley  was  bom  north  of  the  parallel  of  fifty-one  degrees 
and  your  child  on  the  thirty-ninth  degree.  The  sun  ripens  men  as  well 
as  plants.  You  can  judge  of  the  proper  time  to  begin  tlie  lettered  part 
of  Lucy's  education.  But  the  moment  she  can  spell  be  careful  not  to  let 
her  speak  any  word  that  she  cannot  spell.  The  neglect  of  this  salutary 
rule  has  filled  our  country  with  barbarians  of  both  sexes,  —  barbarians 
in  broadcloth  and  barbarians  in  silk.  Let  the  child  in  every  case 
associate  words  with  letters.  Let  her  be  taught  the  right  use  and 
the  true  definition  of  words.  I  know  of  no  school  unless  it  be  your 
husband's  where  this  is  done.  I  could  say  much  more,  but  enough 
for  once. 

Let  me  have  your  opinion  on  this  subject.  I  had  your  letter  before 
me  when  writing  and  recommend  you  to  do  the  same  in  writing  to  me. 

To  Dr.  Lukcy  from  Mrs.  Giles 

Yellow  Springs,  July  10,  181fi. 
Yours  of  the  eighth  of  June  lies  before  me,  and  I  am  much  obliged 
to  you  for  your  expressions  of  interest  in  our  children.    They  are  oppo- 
site in  character  but  very  fond  of  each  other  and  as  smart  as  most 
children. 

-•^il  99  }•♦  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  first  summer  I  taught  school  I  had  sixteen  children  in  the  alpha- 
bet, but  I  do  not  remember  that  the  girls  were  quicker  than  the  boys  of 
the  same  age.  Mr.  Giles  thinks  they  are,  and  I  have  noticed  it  in  older 
pupils. 

As  to  the  uncertainty  of  teaching,  all  business  so  far  as  my  observa- 
tion goes  has  its  risks.  I  really  do  not  know  how  a  man  —  witli  a 
family,  one  who  has  devoted  his  time  and  money  to  acquiring  the  art 
of  teaching  and  who  has  a  first  rate  reputation,  and  who  is  moreover 
a  man  of  sense,  delicacy,  and  refinement,  one  who  has  had  his  own  way 
to  make  in  the  world  without  advice,  money,  or  patronage  —  can  do 
better  than  stick  to  his  business. 

Not  to  go  out  of  the  family.  Father,  who  has  spent  years  in  trying 
to  acquire  money  in  almost  every  kind  of  business,  in  his  old  age 
finds  himself  poor.  In  Father's  family  it  was  always  hard  times,  in 
fact  all  work  and  no  play,  and  I  was  well  grounded  in  habits  of 
economy. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  your  health  is  so  good.  Mr.  Giles  was  thrown  from 
a  horse  a  few  weeks  ago,  and  has  not  entirely  recovered.  Rowena 
unites  with  me  in  sending  her  love.  If  I  ever  send  you  another  letter 
I  will  try  to  make  a  better  looking  one.  It  was  past  my  bedtime  when 
I  commenced.     Good  night. 

There  are  no  entries  in  the  diary  for  many  montlis,  but  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  Dr.  Lakey  Mr.  Giles  gives  some  account  of  their  life  in 
the  interim. 

Yellow  Springs,  Dec.  27,  1848. 

The  mercury  stands  at  ten  degrees  above  zero  this  morning.  I  have 
seven  fires  in  constant  operation,  and  some  of  the  time  nine. 

Dec.  29. 
I  was  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  the  last  sentence  by  an  additional 
fire.     My  fireboard  had  caught  and  was  burning  quite  briskly.     A 
pitcher  of  water  soon  extinguished   it   and   nearly  extinguished   my 
letter. 

The  little  ones  are  well  and  grow  finely. 

My  school  continues  to  increase,  and  when  we  get  everything  ar- 

-"€{  100  ^  - 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

ranged  I  think  we  shall  be  as  well  situated  as  I  could  wish.  But  you 
can  hardly  conceive  how  great  my  expenses  have  been  since  I  came 
here  and  how  hard  I  have  worked.  There  is  no  danger  of  my  dying 
from  ennui.  But  I  do  more  than  I  wish.  I  engage  in  my  duties  cheer- 
fully, for  I  believe  labor  not  only  to  be  the  lot  of  man  but  the  best 
possible  thing  for  him.  An  eternity  of  idleness  would  be  either  a  hell 
or  a  state  of  mental  inanition.  Activity  must  be  essential  to  our  happi- 
ness unless  we  enter  a  lower  order  of  life  when  we  put  off  the  exuviae 
of  the  soul,  and  I  can  conceive  of  no  higher  happiness  than  to  have 
every  power  of  the  soul  called  into  harmonious  activity,  in  circum- 
stances where  no  law  of  nature  or  feeling  or  thought  would  be  violated. 
I  believe  such  a  state  is  before  every  well-doer  and  I  cheerfully  accept 
the  conditions  upon  which  it  is  to  be  obtained.  I  look  to  the  future 
without  any  misgivings  or  doubts  or  fears.  I  expect  neither  wealth, 
ease,  nor  honor  in  this  world,  nor  any  exemption  from  the  cares  and 
trials  of  life. 

The  pathway  of  life  has  not  been  so  far  entirely  free  from  thorns, 
and  if  I  have  ever  shrunk  from  the  future  or  felt  like  fainting  by  the 
way  it  was  owing  to  weakness  of  body  more  than  mind.  But  I  will  not 
boast  till  I  "take  the  harness  off." 

You  ask  me  about  my  vacation.  I  do  not  know  when  it  will  come, 
probably  not  before  March,  and  then  it  will  be  very  short.  I  think 
I  shall  be  in  the  city  before  that  time. 

I  want  to  get  a  teacher  of  music  and  French.  1  could  give  steady 
employment  to  one  who  could  teach  those  branches  well,  and  good 
wages.  I  should  prefer  a  lady.  If  you  should  hear  of  any  one  who 
would  answer  my  purpose  you  would  be  doing  me  a  great  favor  by 
letting  me  know  it. 

My  successor  in  Hamilton.  1  understand,  is  not  doing  very  well. 

I  saw  from  there  yesterday  and  he  thought  the  school  was  not 

of  "much  account."  I  see  they  are  beginning  to  talk  of  Mr.  Bcbb  for 
governor,  or  rather  for  a  candidate.     I  think  he  would  do  very  well. 

Mr.  Giles's  letters  of  this  period  are  signed  C.  C.  Giles.  He  was 
named  for  Commodore  Chauncey  and  when  a  boy  was  often  called 

-*i  101  )•>  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Commodore.      For  many  years  he  signed  his   letters  as   above,   but 
eventually  dropped  tlie  Commodore  entirely. 

Yellow  Springs,  Feb.  20,  1849.  Wlien  we  came  here  I  made  an 
entry  in  my  journal  but  have  not  made  any  since.  Eunice  and 
I  were  both  quite  unwell;  we  had  little  or  no  assistance  and  be- 
fore we  got  our  furniture  arranged  were  nearly  exhausted.  We  had 
received  the  promise  of  but  two  scholars  though  several  gentlemen 
promised  to  think  of  it  and  write.  The  day  advertised  for  the  school 
to  open  was  looked  to  with  much  anxiety.  It  came  and  the  cars  came, 
but  no  boys.  Thus  we  waited  for  nearly  two  weeks.  Finally  one  boy 
arrived.  After  our  patience  was  exhausted  in  waiting  I  went  to  the 
city,  though  I  had  only  ten  dollars  left,  and  if  I  should  not  get  any 
scholars  that  was  all  we  had  to  live  upon.  I  went  and  returned  with 
four  boys.  One  gentleman  paid  me  fifty  dollars  in  advance  and  thus 
we  were  enabled  to  live.  School  opened  and  all  things  went  on  very 
smoothly.  I  had  five  boys,  nearly  enough  to  pay  my  expenses.  My 
own  healtli  was  tolerably  good  and  so  was  E's. 

About  the  20th  of  May  I  was  thrown  from  a  horse  and  hurt  my  hip. 
It  did  not  immediately  trouble  me  very  much,  but  continued  to  swell 
gradually  until  it  was  very  difficult  to  get  about.  In  the  meantime, 
about  August,  my  numbers  had  increased  to  ten  and  several  more  were 
talking  of  coming;  then  my  hip  and  thigh  became  so  painful  tliat  I 
could  not  teach  any  longer. 

I  taught  until  I  could  not  go  to  the  schoolroom  and  then  I  took  my 
boys  into  the  house;  afterwards  I  heard  them  in  bed. 

Finally  Miss  Lakey  offered  to  take  charge  of  them  until  I  got  better. 
She  taught  them  two  weeks  but  found  that  she  could  not  get  along  with 
them  very  pleasantly  and  we  concluded  to  send  tliem  home,  which  we 
finally  did.  The  large  muscle  on  the  outside  of  my  leg  seemed  to  be 
the  principal  seat  of  the  disease.  The  doctor  tried  poultices  for  some 
time  but  found  they  would  not  do.  He  tlien  resorted  to  blisters,  but 
they  did  not  seem  to  have  the  desired  effect.  The  doctor  advised  me  to 
get  some  other  physician.  We  sent  for  Dr.  Lakey,  but  before  he  came 
Dr.  Thorn  had  probed  the  swelling,  found  my  leg  had  suppurated,  and 

-4  102  ^'- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

had  opened  it.  This  gave  me  great  relief,  and  from  that  time  I  began 
to  recover.  For  nearly  three  months  I  was  in  constant  pain,  and  much 
of  the  time  it  was  very  severe.  For  some  weeks  I  could  not  turn  myself 
in  bed  without  the  most  excruciating  pain.  My  nervous  powers  were 
nearly  exhausted  by  the  constant  suffering  and  I  was  weak  in  body  and 
mind.    E.  was  also  worn  down  with  anxiety  and  fatigue. 

The  pay  for  our  pupils,  some  of  it  received  in  advance,  was  sufficient 
to  supply  us  with  means  to  live,  so  that  we  had  no  anxiety  on  that  score. 
It  has  been  a  season  of  great  trial,  and  I  have  had  abundant  evidence 
of  my  weakness.  I  was  determined  that  I  would  not  give  up  my  school, 
and  I  believe  I  did  fight  it  out  to  the  last. 

Some  of  my  boys  had  been  here  but  a  few  weeks  and  I  thought  I 
should  not  get  them  again  if  they  went  home.  But  they  all  came  back 
but  two. 

After  a  vacation  of  five  weeks  I  began  school  again  with  eight  schol- 
ars. My  illness  had  compelled  me  to  defer  the  winter  session  until  it 
was  so  late  that  most  parents  had  disposed  of  their  children.  Indeed 
the  report  had  been  circulated  that  I  did  not  intend  to  reopen  the 
school.  My  health  has  been  tolerably  good,  and  on  the  whole  we  have 
moved  along  very  pleasantly  and  quietly.  We  have  made  some  very 
agreeable  acquaintances  during  the  summer  and  some  who  seem  to 
take  quite  an  active  interest  in  our  welfare.     One  of  them  is  S.  W. 

P y,  Esq.,  of  Cincinnati.     He  brought  a  son  here  to  place  under 

our  care  and  at  the  same  time  mentioned  that  the  people  of  Pomeroy 
were  making  preparations  for  an  Academy,  and  he  thought  it  would 
be  a  very  good  situation.  I  had  not  the  most  remote  idea  at  the  time 
that  I  should  go,  but  negotiations  were  opened  and  I  have  engaged  to 
go  in  the  spring.  My  school  here  will  about  pay  expenses  during  the 
year. 

The  offer  they  have  made  me  is  the  best  I  have  ever  had  and  we  hope 
to  be  able  to  make  enough  to  get  out  of  debt  and  make  a  good  living 
besides. 

The  breaking  up  of  my  school  was  a  severe  blow  to  me.  It  almost 
seemed  to  shake  my  faith  in  the  goodness  of  Providence  and  I  struggled 
and  murmured.     Everything  was  dark,  dark.     "  All  these  tilings  are 

-4  103  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

against  me,"  I  cried,  and  I  felt  as  though  I  had  made  a  very  serious 
retrograde  movement  in  spiritual  life.  This,  however,  has  now  passed 
away  and  I  feel  more  than  ever  that  it  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been 
afflicted.  I  have  been  too  discouraged  at  my  want  of  success  in  tem- 
poral diings.  I  believe  that  such  ideas  are  now  losing  tlieir  hold  upon 
me,  and  that  those  divine  realities  which  constitute  the  true  life  of  the 
soul  are  taking  a  deeper  and  stronger  hold  upon  me.  A  happy  change 
also  seems  to  have  taken  place  in  Eunice.  She  says  that  she  is  better 
pleased  witli  tlie  past,  present,  and  future  than  ever  before.  I  cannot 
now  record  all  we  have  felt  and  experienced,  but  I  may  do  so  at  some 
future  time. 

Feb.  22,  1849.  I  have  been  reading  the  "Life  of  Dr.  Channing" 
and  I  feel  so  abased.  I  see  such  an  infinite  distance  between  him 
and  myself  Uiat  I  am  ready  to  sink  down  in  despair;  and  yet  he 
felt  in  the  same  way,  and  his  sense  of  his  failures,  of  his  weakness, 
his  sin,  was  as  keen,  as  painful  as  mine.  It  is  a  slight  encourage- 
ment that  I  can  appreciate  such  characters  to  some  extent.  It  shows 
that  I  can  see. 

Feb.  26.  Is  it  not  possible  that  a  man  can  make  perceptible  prog- 
ress in  spiritual  life  every  day?  Or  is  our  moral  nature  of  such 
slow  growth  diat  like  the  oak  and  the  more  hardy  plants  its  increase 
can  only  be  measured  by  years? 

Warren  and  Lucy  are  enjoying  themselves  as  well  as  youth,  health, 
innocence,  and  perfect  freedom  from  care  will  allow  them.  Both  of 
them  seem  in  the  partial  eyes  of  their  parents  to  be  very  promising. 

March  2.  I  received  a  number  of  the  New  Jerusalem  magazine  to- 
day. I  think  it  will  be  of  much  service  in  keeping  alive  my  interest  in 
spiritual  subjects. 

How  strange  it  is  that  we  should  be  disinclined  to  do  diat  which  we 
know  will  be  for  our  own  spiritual  good!  How  sad  that  we  who  have 
the  gift  of  looking  before  and  after  should  be  so  prone  to  take  up  with 
a  mess  of  pottage  instead  of  our  celestial  birthright!  But  we  all  do  it 
to  some  extent.  If  we  could  only  bring  the  will  and  the  understanding 
in  harmony  what  a  glorious  thing  it  would  be!  A  Sabbath  of  rest  in- 
deed!    But  we  are  so  evil,  so  changed  are  our  forms  from  their  bright, 

— *3{  104  ^'- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

celestial  beauty,  and  these  changes  have  become  so  organized,  that  it 
must  take  a  long  time  before  we  can  get  into  harmony  with  the  Lord 
and  with  the  principles  of  nature. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  in  keeping  a  journal  is  the  barrenness 
of  the  events  which  one  has  to  record.  It  ought  not  to  be  so,  perhaps, 
for  if  well  kept  it  should  be  the  record  of  one's  inner  life.  Yet  how  few 
have  any  history  worth  recording  even  to  themselves!  What  would  a 
shoemaker's  journal  be,  but  a  record  of  the  number  of  pegs  he  had 
driven  or  the  stitches  he  had  taken,  unless  besides  the  mechanical  pro- 
cess there  was  an  inward  life  worth  recording?  Small  events  are  often 
of  great  importance  to  us.  It  is  the  last  drop  which  makes  the  cup 
run  over.    When  the  scale  is  nearly  balanced  a  grain  makes  it  turn. 

I  have  been  reading  in  the  life  of  Swedenborg.  I  know  of  no  one 
in  the  annals  of  history  who  ever  went  to  work  so  systematically  and 
steadily  to  publish  his  doctrines,  and  who  seemed  to  await  with  so  little 
concern  or  with  so  much  faith  for  the  time  when  they  should  be  received. 
It  did  not  seem  to  be  his  object  to  build  up  an  edifice  but  to  lay  the 
foundation.  Like  the  husbandman  he  cast  his  seed  into  the  ground  and 
awaited  with  cheerful  confidence  the  time  when  it  should  take  root  and 
bear  fruit. 

March  3,  1849.  This  morning  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Rev. 
J.  P.  Stuart  in  which  he  announced  his  intention  to  visit  us  again  soon. 
He  has  hinted  several  times  that  I  would  sometime  preach  New  Church 
doctrines. 

If  I  were  free  from  debt  and  qualified  I  should  like  nothing  better. 
But  I  am  neither  and  so  I  can  do  nothing  at  present.  My  intellectual 
culture  has  been  too  meagre  and  my  hai)its  of  thought  and  reading  too 
desultory  to  enable  me  ever  to  be  an  able  expounder  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  New  Church.  But  if  I  were  going  to  preach  at  all  I  would  wish  to 
preach  them  —  they  are  so  consistent  with  the  nature  of  man  and  them- 
selves. There  seems  to  be  no  weak  point  in  them.  They  meet  every 
want  of  the  human  heart,  they  embrace  every  idea  that  is  rational  ron- 
cerning  God  and  the  spiritual  world,  and  embrace  in  iheir  noble  phi- 
losophy every  atom  of  matter. 

One  beautiful  feature  of   these  doctrines   is   that   they   bring  our 

-♦•{  105  )■>- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

Heavenly  Father  near  in  every  object  of  the  universe.  The  beautiful 
and  wonderful  objects  which  lie  around  us  on  every  side  are  no  longer 
merely  wonderful  and  beautiful,  but  diey  are  tokens  of  the  love  and 
wisdom  and  power  of  Him  Who  hath  all  power  and  Who  is  Love  Itself. 

The  flower  has  an  additional  charm,  —  God's  love  smiles  to  us 
through  its  beauty.  We  breathe  it  in  the  grateful  fragrance,  we  hear 
it  in  the  ten  thousand  harmonies  which  swell  and  die  away  upon  tlie 
air.  Oh  that  I  could  keep  alive  this  feeling  that  it  might  grow  and 
become  more  active  and  constant  in  its  operations,  until  I  could  see 
notliing  in  the  unmarred  works  of  God  which  did  not  remind  me  of 
Him  Who  made  me  to  be  happy,  and  Wlio  arranges  all  the  workings 
of  His  providences  to  bring  us  into  conjunction  with  Him! 

Have  I  made  any  progress  to-day?  I  fear  not.  There  is  a  strange 
feeling  hanging  over  me;  I  cannot  describe  it.  Eternal  realities  con- 
stantly press  upon  my  mind  and  yet  I  fear  they  do  not  have  the  influ- 
ence they  ought.  Good  thoughts  are  notliing  only  as  they  lead  to  good 
actions.  Use  is  full  of  good.  Am  I  of  any  use?  That  is  the  question. 
It  seems  to  me  that  it  must  be  very  small.  But  am  I  not  capable  of 
doing  more  than  I  have  ever  done?  Yes,  yes,  I  am  sure  I  am.  Oh, 
had  I  improved  my  time  as  I  might,  what  could  I  have  accomplished! 

If  my  children  should  ever  see  this,  let  them  take  warning  before  the 
best  of  life  is  wasted,  and  be  diligent,  active,  persevering,  brave,  ener- 
getic in  overcoming  every  obstacle.  Then  may  they  be  of  some  use 
in  their  day  and  generation,  and  be  saved  from  the  bitter  regrets  of 
those  who  have  wasted  their  strength  in  useless  retrospections  or  in 
vain  and  idle  thoughts.  God  help  me  at  this  late  day  to  overcome  my 
sloth  and  stupidity  and  improve  even  the  eleventh  hour. 

His  children  have  indeed  read  the  above,  but  not  as  their  father 
thought  have  they  received  it  as  a  "  terrible  warning."  The  idea  of 
him  in  that  capacity  seemed  almost  ludicrous.  We  read  it  with  smiles, 
and  thought  instead  of  the  noble  example  he  has  been  to  us  continually. 

Yelloiv  Springs,  March  6,  1849.  Yesterday  General  Taylor  was  in- 
augurated, and  his  inaugural  was  printed  in  Cincinnati  yesterday  and 
sent  here  to-day.    Such  is  the  triumph  of  modem  genius  and  art.    The 

-4 106  )ee- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

telegraph  has  annihilated  space.  We  can  now  talk  with  those  who  are 
thousands  of  miles  from  us,  and  by  means  of  railroads  and  steam- 
boats we  can  soon  traverse  the  whole  length  of  our  land.  If  our  moral 
progress  kept  pace  with  our  physical  we  should  be  a  better  race  than 
was  ever  beheld  on  the  earth  since  the  days  of  Adam.  But  it  will  be  a 
very  long  time  before  we  shall  arrive  at  this  height  of  perfection,  yet 
the  way  is  preparing  and  the  time  will  come.  Can  I  do  nothing  to  help 
bring  near  that  glorious  day  when  all  shall  know  the  Lord? 

This  morning  one  of  my  boys  received  a  letter  from  his  father  say- 
ing that  he  could  not  go  to  Pomeroy  with  me  to  school.  He  seemed 
very  much  disappointed  and  wrote  a  lettedmmediately,  expressing  a 
strong  wish  to  change  his  father's  decision.  This  has  depressed  me  all 
day,  so  little  confidence  have  I  in  the  government  of  a  Divine  Providence. 
Everytliing  frightens  me.  Oh  that  I  could  trust  Him  implicitly,  whatever 
men  may  say  or  do!  What  matters  it  whether  we  have  much  or  little  in 
tliis  life!  The  main  thing  is  to  do  our  duty,  to  eradicate  from  our  hearts 
the  love  of  self  and  the  world.  If  we  were  constantly  impressed  with  the 
thought  that  we  are  acting  for  eternity,  and  that  the  happiness  and 
blessedness  of  that  eternity  must  depend  upon  the  characters  we  form 
here,  how  would  all  other  interests  fade  into  nothing  compared  with 
this.  What  if  we  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  our  own  soul!  Wliat 
a  work  have  I  to  do  before  I  can  gain  my  freedom  from  these  bonds  of 
sin,  of  evil  habits,  of  false  principles  and  views  of  life.  Work!  work, 
toil,  and  tliat  against  yourself,  apparently.  When  the  whole  world 
goes  rushing  along,  mad  after  honor;  to  be  calm  and  to  possess  your 
soul  in  patience;  to  resist  your  own  inclinations  and  the  influences  of 
the  world  around  you;  to  think  and  be  satisfied  that  you  are  doing  well 
when  you  are  laying  up  nothing  of  tliis  world's  goods,  providoil  you 
are  resisting  your  own  inclinations  to  evil  and  are  striving  to  do  right 
—  who  can  do  it?  I  feel  every  day  as  if  I  made  no  progress,  but  if 
I  resist  the  disposition  to  evil,  if  I  go  not  back,  I  do  something.  Rut  I 
would  be  free  from  this  constant  struggle,  this  unremitting  warfare. 
I  would  fain  have  a  Sabbath  of  rest.  Wlien  will  it  come?  Not  until 
I  have  overcome  myself. 

I  read  a  book  called  "Reed  on  the  Growth  of  the  Miiui."  wliich  I 

~4  107  )3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

very  much  admire.  It  contains  many  beautiful  and  noble  thoughts 
and  I  trust  I  shall  profit  by  it.  It  would  be  an  interesting  thing  if  we 
could  tell  exactly  what  effect  any  book  has  upon  our  views  and  opin- 
ions, what  aliment  it  furnishes  to  our  mental  growth. 

March  16,  1849.  Wednesday  afternoon  Mr.  Stuart  and  Mr.  Espy 
came  to  make  us  a  visit  from  tlie  Twenty-Mile  Stand.  Mr.  Stuart 
preached  in  the  evening,  in  the  schoolhouse,  to  a  very  good  audience, 
on  the  Resurrection.  Last  evening  he  preached  on  the  Atonement, 
So  far  as  I  have  heard  all  except  the  most  zealous  Methodists  were 
pleased  with  what  he  said.  They  listened  very  attentively,  and  I  trust 
they  obtained  some  truths  which  may  be  of  some  use  to  them  in  life. 
I  presume  many  will  think  the  New  Church  doctrines  not  quite  so  ex- 
travagant and  absurd  as  they  supposed. 

I  have  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  I  have  enjoyed  Mr.  Stuart's  society 
very  much.  We  have  conversed  upon  various  matters,  ranging  from 
the  lowest  points  of  science  to  the  highest  of  philosophy.  I  have  had 
no  school  and  the  boys  have  enjoyed  the  holiday.  Mr.  S.  presented 
me  with  a  copy  of  "  Noble's  Lectures."    I  shall  prize  them  much. 

Surely  there  is  great  pleasure  and  profit  in  exchanging  views  with 
tliose  who  are  intelligent  and  whose  thoughts  harmonize  with  ours  some- 
what. I  have  obtained  many  brighter  and  clearer  views  from  our 
conversation. 

The  thought  occurred  to  me  to-day  that  every  one  shows  clearly  how 
much  he  desires  to  go  to  heaven  by  the  efforts  he  makes  to  get  there. 
Many  pray  loudly  that  God  will  save  them,  but  they  do  not  cultivate 
their  affections  and  perform  those  uses  in  which  heaven  consists,  and 
they  have  no  pleasure  in  them.  Wliat,  then,  is  the  heaven  which  they 
wish?    Do  they  not  want  to  be  saved  in  their  sins  and  not  from  them? 

I  began  to-day  to  read  "  Heaven  and  Hell."  I  find  it  very  interest- 
ing. What  a  wonderful  book!  The  wildest  romance  could  not  be  so 
interesting. 

March  19,  1849.  Yesterday  I  went  to  church  and  the  Presiding 
Elder  preached.  He  spoke  very  well,  but  the  great  mistake  is,  he  like 
others  wants  to  make  Christians  in  a  moment.  "  Get  religion,"  is  the 
term  they  use,  as  though  religion  was  anything  that  could  be  obtained 

-4  108  ^'- 


LEBANON  AND   YELLOW  SPRINGS 

as  we  can  obtain  money  or  food.  Religion,  it  has  been  well  said,  is  a 
life.  The  house  was  crowded  and  there  was  some  attempt  to  get  up 
an  excitement,  but  I  do  not  think  it  will  succeed. 

I  began  reading  one  of  tlie  posthumous  tracts  of  Swedenborg  on  the 
"  Infinite,"  and  it  bears  evidence  of  a  greatness  of  mind  that  I  have 
never  seen  before.  We  can  judge  better  by  this  tlian  by  his  theological 
works,  because  here  we  can  compare  him  with  others.  The  tract  was 
about  as  interesting  to  me  as  any  novel  I  ever  read,  and  I  think  I  shall 
derive  much  benefit  from  it. 

March  20,  1849.  I  do  not  feel  much  like  work  in  anything.  Change 
has  always  affected  me  in  this  way.  I  never  feel  as  if  I  could  carry 
out  my  business  square  to  the  end  when  I  expect  to  make  a  great  change 
soon.  This  is  not  as  it  should  be.  I  find  I  need  application  of  new 
stimulus  every  day  to  keep  me  faithful  and  active.  I  fear  I  am  one  of 
those  who  work  too  much  from  necessity  and  not  enough  from  principle. 
I  must  try  to  improve  in  this  respect. 

March  24.  I  have  been  reading  "Noble's  Lectures"  and  some  of 
Swedenborg's  tracts.  Tlie  more  I  read  tlie  more  I  am  amazed,  the  more 
every  created  thing  seems  to  rise  in  importance,  and  the  Infinite  and 
Holy  One  seems  to  be  brought  nearer  and  nearer  to  view.  I  seem  to 
myself  to  be  getting  glimpses  of  higher  and  nobler  truths,  of  views  of 
the  Lord  and  life  that  will  have  an  important  effect  upon  me  during 
my  whole  existence.  As  these  new  truths  beam  forth  to  view  they  seem 
so  wonderful  that  I  am  sometimes  tempted  to  think  they  cannot  be 
true.  And  yet  I  feel  that  they  must  be,  or  the  whole  of  life  is  a  vain 
dream  and  mockery.  May  my  faith  grow  stronger,  my  views  of  truth 
clearer  and  brighter,  that  I  may  know  Him  Whom  to  know  aright  is  life 
eternal. 

I  have  spent  most  of  the  day  in  reading  "  Noble's  Lectures."  They 
are  full  of  thought  and  I  do  not  see  how  the  reasoning  can  be  met  or 
refuted,  and  yet  tliere  are  not  many  who  will  receive  tlie  Doctrines  at 
present.  The  good  Methodists  of  this  place  seem  horrified  at  the 
thought  that  they  may  prevail.  They  call  them  a  species  of  modern 
infidelity,  though  on  what  tliey  ground  their  charge  it  would  be  diflicult 
to  say. 

-4  109  |3^ 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

I  consider  it  the  greatest  blessing  of  my  life  that  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  them.  They  have  removed  the  darkness  which  enveloped 
many  subjects  and  have  made  them  a  matter  of  reason,  when  hereto- 
fore they  were  only  cognizant  to  the  eye  of  faitli.  And  they  have  done 
more  than  this.  They  have  presented  the  Lord  in  such  a  light  that  the 
whole  universe  has  become  radiant  with  His  love.  Oh,  tliat  that  love 
may  so  penetrate  my  heart  and  my  affections  tliat  I  may  constantly  be- 
come a  holy  and  living  sacrifice,  acceptable  to  Him  Whose  love  is  un- 
changeable, and  constantly  exercised  towards  all  His  creatures! 

Yellow  Springs,  April  1,  1849.  Yesterday  my  school  closed  and  the 
boys  went  home.  I  feel  as  if  a  very  great  load  of  anxiety  and  care  was 
removed  from  me.  Everything  seems  so  still  and  quiet.  I  am  not  con- 
stantly feeling  as  if  some  of  them  might  be  in  mischief. 

This  winds  up  another  year  of  labor  and  completes  a  cycle  in  my 
existence. 

We  expect  soon  to  make  preparations  to  remove  to  Pomeroy.  On 
the  evening  of  the  30th  of  March  E.  was  taken  ill  and  we  have  many 
fears  about  her.  If  she  should  be  confined  by  a  long  sickness  it  would 
seem  to  be  very  unfortunate,  as  we  wish  to  remove  in  two  weeks 
from  this  place.  But  it  may  be  the  very  best  tiling  for  us  to  be  pre- 
vented from  leaving  now.  We  cannot  tell,  so  we  will  try  to  make  the 
best  of  our  situation,  knowing  that  nothing  of  a  very  serious  nature  can 
result  from  it  if  we  rely  firmly  upon  Divine  Providence,  and  trust  im- 
plicitly to  the  Infinite  Love  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  Eunice  seems  very 
calm  and  composed,  and  I  trust  she  will  be  sustained  in  whatever  trial 
she  may  be  called  upon  to  bear. 

April  12,  1849.  Since  writing  I  have  done  nothing  but  wait. 
The  time  has  passed  away  very  slowly,  not  to  say  unpleasantly.  I 
have  been  expecting  letters  every  day,  but  none  have  arrived.  It  seems 
very  essential  that  we  should  know  something  more  definite  about  our 
future  operations  than  we  do.  Several  gentlemen  are  owing  me  money 
also,  and  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  get  along  unless  they  send  it,  but 
it  does  not  come. 


-<i  110  ^'- 


CHAPTER   V 

POMEROY 

JT  OMEROY,  April  23,  1849.  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  made  an 
entry  in  ray  journal  and  many  events  important  to  us  have  transpired. 
The  day  after  I  last  wrote  we  began  to  pack  up  our  goods.  They  were 
put  aboard  the  cars  on  Wednesday  evening  tlie  18th  and  E.  and  I  with 

the  children  went  to  Mr. 's  to  wait  for  the  train.    Eunice  was  quite 

unwell,  and  we  began  to  fear  that  she  would  be  confined  before  we 
went  over,  and  it  was  not  long  before  all  our  fears  were  confirmed. 
About  two  o'clock  of  the  19th  she  was  delivered  of  a  boy  who  lived 
but  an  hour.  Nothing  apparently  could  be  more  adverse  to  our  inter- 
ests or  more  unfortunate.  But  dear  E.  bore  it  with  wonderful  fortitude 
and  composure.  She  surprised  us  all  by  her  resignation  and  self- 
control.  She  seemed  to  be  comfortable  the  next  day,  and  as  our  fur- 
niture was  on  the  cars  and  must  be  either  unloaded  or  go  on,  it  was 
thought  best  that  I  should  leave  her  in  Rowena's  care  and  go  on  with  it. 

April  24.  Arrived  at  Pomeroy  at  about  twelve  o'clock.  I  was  very 
kindly  received  by  our  friends  here  and  was  invited  by  Judge  Irving  to 
lodge  at  his  house  and  take  breakfast  and  tea  witli  him. 

I  found  the  work  on  the  house  had  been  very  much  delayed  by  a 
slide  in  the  land  and  the  prospects  looked  very  discouraging.  My 
goods  came  on  the  27th  and  on  the  28th  I  put  part  of  the  furniture 
into  tlie  house.  I  remained  in  Pomeroy  until  the  eighth  of  May,  when 
I  left  to  meet  Eunice  and  the  family.  I  had  all  along  received  very 
encouraging  accounts  from  her. 

We  were  accommodated  with  board  at  Mr. 's  and  stayed  there 

until  the  18th  of  June,  when  we  moved  into  our  home  and  began  school. 
Our  numbers  were  much  larger  than  we  expected  and  tlie  school  on  the 
whole  has  been  very  prosperous.  Up  to  the  present  time  we  have 
taught  two  quarters  and  four  weeks,  wiUi  only  one  week's  vacation. 

--gf  111  }3^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

We  have  had  eight  boys  to  board  with  us  for  some  time  past.  We  went 
through  tlie  trying  scenes  of  the  cholera  without  any  sickness  in  our 
family  of  much  account.  E's  health  has  been  tolerably  good  and  so 
has  mine,  and  we  are  much  pleased  with  our  situation,  much  better 
than  we  have  been  with  any  previous  one. 

The  following  letters  were  written  during  Mrs.  Giles's  illness  in 
Yellow  Springs. 

To  C.  Giles  from  his  wife 

Yellow  Springs,  April  25,  1849. 

Your  very  good  letter  came  this  morning  and  found  me  better  than  I 
have  ever  been  before  at  the  same  time.  The  doctor  was  just  in  and 
says  if  I  continue  to  get  on  so  well  I  may  start  next  week.  I  can  hardly 
realize  it,  but  feel  elated  in  prospect  of  so  soon  being  able  to  join  you. 

The  doctor  thinks  by  avoiding  tlie  night  air  we  can  safely  leave 
sooner.  We  have  therefore  concluded  to  visit  Mr.  Espy's  and  stay  a 
day  or  two  and  then  take  the  morning  train. 

Bub  has  chills  yet.  Lucy  enjoys  having  children  to  play  with  very 
much.  I  suffer  a  good  deal  with  that  old  pain  in  my  face  and  ear. 
Your  letters  cheer  me  very  much. 

To  C.  Giles  from  Roivena  Lakey 

We  intend  to  leave  the  Springs  the  last  of  next  week  if  nothing  pre- 
vents, —  go  to  Grandpa  Espy's  on  the  three  o'clock  train  and  stay  over 
the  Sabbath,  tlien  take  the  morning  train  for  the  city  and  go  directly 
from  the  depot  to  the  11  o'clock  packet.  So  you  may  put  your  house 
in  order.  N.  B.  Look  well  to  the  larder.  We  shall  patronize  that 
pretty  extensively,  I  'm  thinking.  Perhaps  you  would  better  send  us 
the  means  for  removal  as  soon  as  convenient,  that  we  may  not  be  de- 
layed longer  than  is  necessary.  If  you  can  suggest  any  improvement 
on  our  plans  please  let  us  know. 

The  doctor  says  Eunice  may  try  getting  out  of  bed  to-morrow.  She 
sits  up  in  bed  while  eating.  I  suppose  you  are  hardly  prepared  for  a 
letter  in  her  own  hand.     It  is  remarkable  how  well  and  strong  she  is. 

-'4i  112  ^'~ 


POMEROY 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  husband 

April  29,  1849,  Sat.  eve. 

It  is  now  just  a  week  since  I  heard  from  you.  I  was  so  much  dis- 
appointed last  night  when  no  letter  came  that  I  almost  determined 
to  get  into  the  steamboat  and  make  you  a  visit.  I  am  in  two  places 
all  the  time,  —  here  in  body,  with  you  in  spirit.  I  talk  and  laugh 
with  the  others,  and  while  they  are  telling  stories  I  am  with  you  and 
the  children. 

But  I  will  give  an  account  of  myself.     Friday  I  did  not  do  much  of 

anything  but  wander  aroimd.    Yesterday  I  took  dinner  with  Mrs. , 

when  I  saw  rather  more  style  than  I  have  seen  before  in  this  place.  We 
had  a  piece  of  roast  pork  and  a  boiled  ham,  asparagus,  and  a  very  nice 
pudding,  silver  forks,  etc.  Mr.  Charles  Pomeroy  and  Judge  Irving 
were  present  with  me  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  After  dinner 
I  commenced  moving  my  furniture  from  the  river  to  the  house.  We 
did  not  finish  unlil  night.  To-morrow  I  shall  get  all  our  things  into 
the  Ark. 

This  morning  I  took  a  long  walk  with  Judge  Irving  on  tlie  hilltops 
above  the  river.  I  will  not  try  to  describe  the  scene.  You  will  soon  be 
here  and  then  you  will  see  it  for  yourself. 

I  went  to  the  Episcopal  Church.  We  had  a  very  respectable  sermon; 
I  believe  I  did  not  hear  much  of  it.  I  was  away  in  the  spirit.  A  strange 
feeling  of  loneliness  and  sadness  came  over  me.  Spectres  from  the 
gloomy  past  came  thronging  around  me,  and  that  loneliness  of  feeling 
which  seems  to  sweep  over  me  and  shut  me  out  from  all  fellowship 
with  my  kind  almost  overmastered  me.  That  old  feeling  of  unfitness 
for  intercourse  with  my  fellows  haunts  mc  when  I  am  away  from  you; 
it  sweeps  over  me  and  shuts  out  every  fair  and  beautiful  thing  in  life. 

Oh,  what  do  I  not  owe  to  you!  Rugged  ami  thorny  as  has  been  our 
path  since  we  were  married,  I  date  my  happiness,  my  all  of  life  that  is 
worth  naming,  from  that  hour.  Hardly  a  day  passes  that  I  do  not  feel 
like  prostrating  myself  before  our  dear  Heavenly  Father  to  thank  Him 
for  you  and  the  dear  little  ones. 

While  I  was  ascending  the  liill  tliis  morning  with  Judge  Irving,  the 

~«i  113  ^>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

sky  cloudless,  the  air  pure  as  if  it  were  a  fresh  breath  from  our  Father, 
the  birds  singing  because  tliey  could  not  help  it,  the  flowers  looking  up 
from  their  winter  hiding  places  with  such  simple,  confiding  beauty,  I 
tliought  of  you  and  the  dear  little  ones,  especially  of  the  three  little 
cherubs  in  heaven.  The  tears  would  stream  forth,  but  they  were  not 
tears  of  sorrow  or  sadness,  but  ratlier  of  gratitude  and  joy.  I  thought 
of  those  little  ones,  —  how  they  had  escaped  all  life's  trials  and  sor- 
rows, all  its  impurities  and  sins;  how  they  would  grow  up  under  the 
blessed  influence  of  angelic  purity,  to  be  themselves  angels,  always 
happy,  with  no  dangers,  no  drawbacks;  I  felt  that  it  was  a  blessed  thing 
to  have  been  the  instruments  of  giving  existence  to  those  who  will  ever 
be  happy,  and  I  could  not  but  thank  our  Heavenly  Father  for  His  love 
to  us  in  this  respect. 

I  had  to  break  away  from  tliis  train  of  thought  and  talk  of  pastures, 
fences,  and  lands. 

I  took  dinner  with  Mr.  H.  The  more  I  see  of  the  society  here  the 
better  I  like  it.  I  think  it  will  do  us  all  good,  and  I  doubt  not  it  is 
wisely  ordered  that  we  decided  to  come  here.  I  think  we  shall  find  the 
kind  of  social  influence  and  feeling  here  that  will  be  the  means  of  help- 
ing us  farther  on.  They  treat  me  with  great  kindness  and  attention, 
and  as  far  as  I  can  judge  I  have  made  a  favorable  impression  upon 
them,  though  this  I  cannot  tell  positively.  They  are  looking  out  for  a 
maid  or  maids  for  you  and  I  think  they  will  do  everything  in  their 
power  to  make  your  residence  here  pleasant.  I  think  it  is  exactly  tlie 
place  for  Rowena  and  I  regard  it  as  a  special  Providence  that  she  is 
coming.  I  think  that  she  will  be  appreciated,  and  there  is  a  very  pretty 
class  of  girls  that  she  will  have  for  scholars  —  kind-hearted,  polite,  im- 
affected,  innocent  girls,  and  some  of  them  beautiful  withal. 

Wlien  you  are  able,  Dearest,  you  will  write  to  me,  but  not  before; 
I  shall  be  so  glad  to  hear  from  you.  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  hear  that 
you  are  recovering  and  will  soon  be  well  enough  to  come!  And  shall 
I  not  be  glad  to  see  you  and  the  dear  little  ones!  Ah,  Babies,  would 
that  I  could  kiss  you  to-night.  Be  good  children  and  do  as  Mother  and 
Auntie  tell  you,  and  in  a  few  days  I  shall  see  you,  I  trust.  Now  I  must 
bid  you  all  good  night. 


POMEROY 

My  anxiety  for  you  is  so  intense  that  it  seems  as  if  I  could  not  stay 
here;  tliat  I  must  be  with  you.  If  it  were  not  that  I  am  afraid  that  we 
shall  be  much  cramped  for  money  before  the  close  of  our  first  quarter, 
I  would  come  and  remain  with  you  until  the  house  was  ready  and  then 
we  would  come  on  together.  But  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to  distrust  you 
so.    You  will  exercise  your  judgment  and  good  sense. 

In  another  letter  to  Mrs.  Giles  her  husband  writes: 

PoMEROY,  May  4,  18^19. 

I  am  better  and  better  satisfied  with  life  every  day.  It  seems  as 
though  I  could  look  up  with  joyful  eyes  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  even 
under  the  most  untoward  circumstances.  It  affords  me  great  pleas- 
ure, I  cannot  tell  you  how  much,  that  you  have  borne  our  present 
trials  with  so  much  fortitude  and  hope. 

Delightful  visions  of  the  future  cheer  me  amid  every  trial  and  dis- 
appointment; visions  not  of  wealth,  splendor  or  honor  in  this  life,  but 
of  getting  into  the  harmony  of  things,  of  removing  all  obstacles  to  the 
full  reception  of  our  Father's  infinite  love.  If  there  is  a  remote  pros- 
pect, a  faint  glimpse  of  that,  surely  it  is  enough  to  render  all  the  cares 
and  disappointments  of  life  insignificant. 

Have  no  fears  for  me.  Dearest,  while  you  and  the  children  are  left 
to  me. 

A  great  variety  of  boats  pass  here  every  day.  Yesterday  one  went 
down  stream  loaded  from  the  top  to  die  bottom  witli  emigrants  to  Cali- 
fornia. You  can  stand  on  the  porch  of  our  house  here  and  see  the  boats 
go  up  and  down  the  river  and  see  the  children  playing  in  the  town 
below,  and  you  can  see  old  Virginia  too. 

To  Miss  Rowena  Lakey  from  C.  Giles 

PoMEROY,  May  5,  1849. 

The  top  o'  the  morning  to  you.     How  do  you  do?     Have  you  a  bad 

headache?      And   does   everything   around,   above,   and    below,   look 

blue?    The  world  seems  to  be  doing  her  best  to  be  entertaining  and  she 

has  succeeded  very  well.    The  people  here  are  ready  to  give  us  a  warm 

-4  115  }g^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

reception.  Here  you  will  find  some  living  souls,  and  I  predict  that 
you  will  be  pleased  and  say  that  it  was  well  that  we  came. 

Oh,  will  it  not  be  pleasant  to  look  around  and  say  "  There  goes  a 
man  or  woman  who  estimates  our  characters  by  what  we  are,  and  not 
by  our  creeds,  who  can  look  through  tlie  shows  and  forms  of  things  at 
the  reality." 

Let  us  accept  cheerfully  the  present  inconveniences  which  we  have 
met  and  look  joyfully  toward  the  future. 

Adolph  and  I  expect  to  clean  house  next  week,  and  when  we  finish 
we  shall  be  very  happy  to  receive  a  call  from  Mrs.  Giles  and  Miss  Lakey 
and  the  children.  I  do  not  know  that  we  can  promise  you  anything  very 
luxurious  in  the  way  of  entertainment,  but  you  shall  have  some  bread 
and  butter,  and  if  you  will  bring  your  lea  with  you,  a  cup  of  tea.  If 
you  want  any  exercise  you  may  climb  the  rocks  back  of  the  house.  Or 
you  may  sit  on  tlie  porch  and  look  over  die  houses  into  the  river  and  at 
the  hills  beyond.  You  may  listen  to  the  music  of  the  birds  and  of 
children  as  it  comes  up  from  below,  or  you  may  do  whatever  you  please. 
Is  not  that  liberal  enough?  If  it  is  not,  please  to  help  yourself  to  lib- 
erty. Ho!  Ho!  I  say  to  myself,  we  shall  be  together  again  soon  and 
my  heart  bounds  at  Uie  thought  like  a  horse  impatient  of  his  rider. 
It  does  not  seem  to  me  now  that  I  could  live  long  away  from  my  family. 
I  am  sure  I  would  not  for  all  the  wealth  of  California.  I  hope  you  will 
write  to  me.    A  letter  is  better  than  gold. 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  husband 

PoMEROY,  May,  1849. 
Yours  of  April  25th  came  safely  to  hand  last  night.  It  made  me 
very  glad,  and  very  sad,  —  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  getting  along  so 
well,  and  sad  that  you  run  such  risks  by  sitting  up  so  soon.  I  expect 
you  will  get  down  again.  I  tremble  every  letter  I  open  from  you  lest 
I  find  confirmation  of  my  fears.  It  is  so  safe  to  wait  a  little  and  be 
careful,  and  so  rash  and  dangerous  to  be  in  too  much  of  a  hurry,  that 
I  wonder  you  will  not  wait. 

You  have  doubtless  received  long  before  this  my  letter  which  informs 

-4  116  ^- 


POMEROY 

you  of  the  backsets  and  the  downslips  encountered  in  repairing  the 
Academy.    But  little  progress  has  been  made  since  I  came  here. 

Yesterday  Mr.  Horton  surveyed  the  premises  and  took  the  manage- 
ment of  matters  into  his  own  hands,  and  the  work  moves  more  rapidly. 
But  it  is  a  sad-looking  place,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  see  it  until  it 
appears  more  inviting.  I  have  no  expectation  that  it  will  be  com- 
pleted until  the  first  of  Jime,  though  doubtless  we  can  get  iiUo  it  before 
that  time. 

The  ground  above  the  house  is  full  of  deep  fissures  made  by  the  slip; 
the  surface  is  covered  with  huge  rocks  and  timbers;  the  cellar  is  filled 
with  earth  and  large  stones;  the  plastering  in  the  rooms  above  is  much 
cracked.  Two  of  tlie  chimneys  have  tumbled  down;  there  is  a  work- 
bench in  the  parlor  and  tlie  house  is  full  of  shavings  and  lumber. 
What  tliink  you?    Do  the  prospects  of  housekeeping  seem  very  bright? 

As  I  wrote  you  in  my  last,  you  need  be  in  no  hurry,  though  I  think 
we  shall  be  able  to  get  into  the  house  as  soon  as  you  ought  to  move. 
Does  it  not  seem  strange  that  I  should  try  to  persuade  you  not  to  rome 
to  me  when  I  would  give  my  eyes  almost  to  see  you  and  the  children  and 
Rowena?  But  I  tliink  it  would  be  no  pleasanter  for  you  here  than  it 
is  at  the  Springs.  Doubtless,  too,  you  would  have  a  great  many  calls 
from  strangers  and  perhaps  would  try  to  return  them.  But  I  leave  you 
to  do  just  what  you  think  best.  We  can  get  board  here,  and  if  you 
would  prefer  this,  come  as  soon  as  you  feel  able.  I  would  come  after 
you  if  I  could,  but  I  am  getting  very  short  of  money  and  I  must  deny 
myself  the  privilege. 

You  recollect,  my  dear,  how  we  used  to  talk  about  the  difficulties  of 
getting  here  and  how  wonderful  it  would  be  if  everylliing  should  work 
right.  Some  unexpected  difficulties  have  presented  themselves  and  a 
much  more  severe  trial  of  our  patience  and  trust  in  a  kind  Providence 
than  we  expected.  But  after  all  it  is  of  but  little  consequence.  We  can 
wait.  The  time  will  soon  pass  away  and  we  shall  once  more  be  settled 
in  a  quiet  home,  our  dear  ones  all  around  us  and,  I  hope,  business 
enough  to  afford  us  a  decent  support.  I  doubt  not  we  shall  enjoy  it 
very  much. 

Above  all  the  fogs  and  clouds  of  earth  the  future  looks  bright  and 

-.4m  ]s^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY  GILES 

glorious  to  me.  If  we  are  what  we  ought  to  be,  we  shall  become  what 
we  wish  to  be.  And  tlie  dear  children  —  how  my  interest  in  them  in- 
creases and  my  love  for  them  grows  more  intense!  May  they  become 
what  they  are  capable  of  being,  intellectual  enough,  but  above  all  may 
they  be  good.    Dear  ones,  how  often  I  think  of  you! 

Poor  little  Bub  still  shakes.  Oh,  ho,  my  little  boy,  get  up  on  Father's 
knee  and  let  us  see  if  we  can  shake  off  the  shakes.  And  Sissy  too,  ^ — 
come,  let  us  have  a  romp.  We  will  go  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  get 
some  pretty  flowers  and  see  the  river  and  the  steamboats  and  the  houses 
and  hills  beyond. 

Yesterday  I  took  tea  and  dinner  at  Mr.  H 's  and  spent  the  even- 
ing at  Mr.  S 's.    There  were  a  few  ladies  there,  and  we  sang  and 

chatted  until  after  ten  o'clock.  They  are  just  beginning  to  learn  music 
here  and  tliey  are  quite  enamoured  of  it.  I  sang  the  bass  to  a  few 
tunes,  and  they  said  at  once  that  I  was  just  the  man  they  wanted  in  the 
choir.     But  I  expect  I  am  just  the  man  they  won't  get. 

Mrs.  S has  a  fine  piano  and  plays  very  well.    Tliey  have  a  small 

organ  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  church  was  dedicated  the  day  I 
arrived  here.  It  is  small  and  plain.  The  congregation  is  not  large 
but  comprises  the  Pomeroy  tribe  principally. 

After  some  favorable  comments  upon  various  new  acquaintances 
Mr.  Giles  says: 

I  have  never  seen  so  much  real  affection  and  good  feeling  exhibited 
by  connections  and  relatives.  I  think  we  shall  derive  much  benefit  by 
association  with  them.  If  I  am  not  deceived  you  and  Rowena,  and 
myself  too,  will  find  the  society  here  more  congenial  to  our  tastes  and 
feelings  than  any  in  which  we  have  ever  mingled.  I  have  found  more 
books  here  that  were  according  to  my  taste  than  I  have  ever  seen  out- 
side of  a  bookstore  in  Ohio.  But  I  have  come  to  the  end  of  my  sheet. 
Kiss  the  babies  for  me. 

PoMEROY,  May  6,  1849. 

I  received  your  kind  letter  dated  the  30th  last  evening.  It  takes 
five  days  to  get  a  letter  from  the  Springs,  nearly  as  long  as  it 
does  from  Boston.     I  must  have  written  you  a  very  gloomy  letter 


POMEROY 

when  I  first  arrived  and  I  am  sorry,  but  I  wrote  as  I  felt.  Things  did 
look  discouraging,  and  then  I  was  very  tired.  I  also  met  with  some 
things  in  Cincinnati  which  did  not  increase  my  equanimity.  But  I 
have  written  you  about  all  tliese  matters  before  and  need  not  repeat 
them.  If  we  all  live  we  shall  soon  be  settled  in  our  new  home,  our  dear 
family  once  more  united  not  soon  to  part  again,  I  hope. 

It  has  been  a  dark  rainy  day  but  I  have  been  quite  happy.  You  have 
been  with  me  and  we  have  had  a  delightful  season  of  intercourse  with 
each  other  and  with  the  dear  children.  The  past,  too,  has  come  up 
before  me,  not  in  the  darkness  which  once  enveloped  it  but  radiant  with 
the  light  of  your  love. 

We  have  indeed  seen  many  a  dark  hour,  the  billows  have  gone  over 
us.  A  flaming  sword  which  shut  us  out  from  our  Eden  was  brandished 
in  every  pathway,  but  it  was  wielded  by  a  good  angel  to  keep  us  from 
evil  ways.  All  that  we  have  lost  is  as  nothing  compared  with  what  we 
have  gained. 

I  thought  this  morning  I  would  tell  you  how  I  felt,  how  happy  I  am 
in  the  present  and  in  the  hopes  for  the  future.  But  somehow  I  cannot 
say  what  I  would  or  as  I  would.  I  thought  I  would  tell  you  what  I 
owed  to  you;  how  much  your  goodness  and  love  have  done  to  win  me 
from  dark  thoughts,  to  purify  my  heart  from  bad  passions  and  in  every 
way  to  make  me  a  better  man,  and  how  every  thought  and  feeling,  every 
hope  of  the  future  and  every  joy  of  the  present  is  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  you.  But  I  cannot;  no  words  that  I  can  command  will 
express  what  I  feel.  It  seems  as  if  what  I  would  say  but  cannot  has 
been  growing  upon  me  for  months.  Well,  let  it  be  unsaid.  May  every 
action  hereafter  have  a  thousand  tongues  to  tell  you  what  I  mean. 

I  feel  that  my  illness  last  summer  was  a  great  blessing  to  me.  How 
dark  it  was  to  me  then!  How  I  struggled  against  it!  I  thouglit  I  could 
not  have  it  so.  Did  it  not  seem  to  us  as  if  our  very  lives  depended 
u|)()n  the  success  of  our  school?  Upon  making  a  little  money?  How 
differently  I  feel  now!  Desirable  as  it  really  is  that  we  should  get  out 
of  debt,  I  feel  that  there  is  a  higher  good  llian  llial:  I  have  ceased  to 
have  that  intense  and  corroding  anxiety  about  it.  I  have  no  fear  iiut 
we  shall  be  able  to  do  all  we  wish  in  that  respect  here. 

-«(119}.>.- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  can  echo  all  you  have  said  to  me  about  trusting  in  the  goodness  of 
our  Heavenly  Father.  He  is  good.  Goodness  itself.  His  love  is  in- 
finite. He  is  Love  itself.  I  know  it;  I  feel  it  in  a  way  that  I  never  did 
before.  All  our  disappointments  and  delays  will  be  for  our  good. 
I  am  not  gloomy  or  desponding.  I  feel  at  times  a  great  anxiety  for  you, 
but  I  know  that  you  too  are  in  the  same  kind  loving  Fatlier's  keeping 
and  I  have  no  cause  to  fear. 

Let  the  love  which  we  bear  to  each  other  and  to  our  children,  im- 
perfect and  feeble  as  we  are,  teach  us  how  great  and  pure  is  His  love 
for  us.  Then  we  shall  have  no  cause  to  doubt  or  to  fear  for  the  future. 
No  evil  thing  can  happen  to  us  if  we  are  true  to  Him. 

Our  friends  here  are  very  kind  to  me. 

The  first  thing  Mr.  Horton  said  to  his  wife  after  he  came  home  from 
Cincinnati  was,  when  he  heard  how  much  they  had  been  delayed  by  the 
slide,  "  Is  Mr.  Giles  discouraged?  "  You  will  rejoice,  I  know,  to  learn 
that  I  have  found  more  congeniality  of  feeling  and  tastes  here  than 
anywhere  in  Ohio.    Yes,  I  may  say  anywhere,  and  I  think  it  will  be  the 

same  with  you.     I  think  you  will  love  Mrs.  and  Mrs.  not 

only  because  they  are  kind  to  me  but  because  they  are  lovable. 

I  hope  you  will  write  to  me  every  day  if  you  are  not  too  tired.  You 
can  judge  by  your  own  feelings  when  you  get  a  letter  from  me  how 
much  pleasure  it  affords  me  to  hear  from  you.  How  good  it  is  when 
I  go  to  the  Post  Office  after  the  mail  comes  in  always  to  find  a  letter! 
I  thank  you.  Dearest,  for  them  all.  Surely  the  people  at  the  Springs 
are  very  kind.  It  is  cheering  to  know  that  we  are  regarded  with 
so  much  interest.  I  hope  your  stay  there  will  not  be  altogether 
impleasant. 

I  have  nothing  new  to  write  in  relation  to  the  Academy.  I  think  the 
principal  part  of  the  work  will  soon  be  completed,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  in  it  next  week. 

Kiss  the  dear  children  for  me.  I  have  never  had  those  who  are  ab- 
sent appear  so  really  present  as  you  all  are  to-day. 

As  Mr.  Giles  had  predicted,  life  in  Pomeroy  was  more  agreeable  to 
him  and  his  wife  than  any  they  had  previously  experienced  since  their 

-4. 120  ^'- 


POMEROY 

marriage.  The  school  was  large  and  successful,  they  had  congenial 
friends  who  added  much  to  their  social  pleasures,  and,  as  always,  the 
home  life  was  happy. 

Their  house,  the  old  Pomeroy  mansion  situated  on  a  bluff  overlook- 
ing the  town  and  river,  is  the  "  Ark "  of  which  mention  is  made  in 
some  of  the  letters.  The  lower  rooms  of  the  house  were  reserved  for 
the  school,  which  was  both  for  boarding  and  day  pupils,  and  some  of 
the  time  Mrs.  Giles  had  a  household  of  fifteen. 

At  about  this  time  Mr.  Giles,  always  open  to  new  truth,  became  con- 
vinced of  the  efficacy  of  homeopathy.  When  the  cholera  raged  in  the 
town  and  people  were  dying  off  like  flies,  Mrs.  Giles,  to  whom  homeo- 
pathic remedies  were  administered  by  her  husband,  was  the  first  person 
in  the  town  to  recover. 

Impressed  by  this  circumstance  Dr.  Lakey,  who  had  been  summoned 
from  Cincinnati  to  attend  tlie  sick,  came  to  Mr.  Giles  and  said,  '"  Chaun- 
cey,  I  have  a  very  sick  patient.  I  am  sure  die  man  cannot  be  cured  but 
I  would  like  to  try  some  of  the  medicines  which  you  gave  Eunice."  He 
did  so,  and  the  man  got  well. 

Reference  is  made  in  some  of  the  family  letters  to  a  rival  school, 
the  establishment  of  which  necessarily  incurred  some  pecuniary  loss 
to  Mr.  Giles.  Notwithstanding,  he  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way 
and  constantly  tried  to  improve  his  methods  of  teaching  and  to  afford 
better  educational  advantages  to  his  pupils.  The  visit  to  the  Teachers' 
Convention  at  Cleveland  throws  light  on  one  of  his  efforts  to  improve 
in  his  profession,  and  he  also  visited  Cincinnati  in  order  to  study 
French  with  a  view  to  teaching  it.  Many  years  later  the  writer  had 
the  same  French  teacher  who  then  gave  Mr.  Giles  instruction.  He  said 
tliat  Mr.  Giles  learned  more  French  in  the  time  he  allotted  for  its  study 
tlian  any  one  he  ever  saw. 

Through  all  the  circumstances  and  changes  of  Uie  life  in  Pomeroy 
a  double  thread  was  woven  —  the  constant  endeavor  to  improve  in  what 
then  seemed  to  be  his  chosen  profession,  and  an  ever-deepening  interest 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church.  To  one  of  Mr.  Giles's  tempera- 
ment this  interest  was  inseparable  from  efforts  to  be  of  use  in  the 
church.  At  first  he  was  asked  to  read  the  sermons  of  others  to  the 
little  groups  of  New  Church  people  settled  in  Pomeroy  and  the  neigh- 
boring small  towns.  On  one  occasion,  being  unable  to  find  a  suitable 
discourse,  he  wrote  a  sermon  himself.  The  text  was  from  Revelation. 
"  And  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of  tlie  nations."  This 
was  received  with  such  favor  that  he  continued  to  write,  with  many 

-4  121  }■>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

internal  misgivings  as  to  his  own  ability  hut  with  an  anient  desire  to 
do  good  work. 

He  has  sometimes  spoken  of  these  early  efforts,  given  perhaps  in  a 
log  schoolhouse  by  the  light  of  a  single  candle,  his  audience  practically 
invisible.  Children  were  always  attracted  to  him,  and  one  old  lady, 
then  a  child,  has  written  to  me  of  how  she  loved  to  go  "just  for  the 
pleasure  of  looking  at  Mr.  Giles."  As  this  work  became  more  en- 
grossing it  was  evident  that  either  the  teaching  or  the  preaching 
must  be  renounced. 

Upon  receiving  a  call  from  the  Cincinnati  Society  he  gave  up  his 
school,  and  so  Mr.  Giles  had  at  length  in  his  fortieth  year  found  his 
life  work!  He  began  in  1852,  without  previous  theological  training,  in 
fact  with  none  which  would  ordinarily  be  considered  a  proper  intro- 
duction to  his  profession,  the  many  years  of  useful  work  which  were 
to  follow. 

In  after  years  in  tracing  the  leadings  of  Divine  Providence  he  felt 
that  his  whole  previous  life  had  been  a  preparation  for  the  ministry, 
and  he  loved  to  see  in  the  trials  and  disappointments  of  earlier  years  the 
Hand  which  led  him  to  deeper  spiritual  blessings. 

Of  the  poor  healdi  which  shortened  his  college  course,  a  disap- 
pointment which  embittered  his  life  for  many  years,  he  said,  "  By 
means  of  it  I  was  led  to  the  greatest  blessings  of  my  life,  —  my  wife 
and  the  discovery  of  the  New  Church." 

None  who  read  Mr.  Giles's  writings  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with 
their  practical  character.  Through  toil  (his  boyhood  was  one  of  hard 
work  and  physical  hardship)  and  suffering,  through  states  of  doubt 
and  despair,  with  keen  sympathy  for  humanity,  and  yet  at  times  a 
morbid  shrinking  from  human  intercourse,  with  a  longing  for  self- 
improvement  difTicult  to  achieve  because  of  ill  health,  he  pursued  from 
necessity  the  at  first  uncongenial  profession  of  teaching.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  in  his  diary  the  gradual  change  in  his  attitude  towards 
his  pupils,  —  from  the  "  I  will  show  them  who  is  master,"  to  the 
kindly,  interested  preceptor  strong  to  instill  in  heedless  brains  some 
notion  of  the  practical  importance  of  the  cultivation  of  their  minds  and 
the  improvement  of  their  characters. 

Through  and  by  means  of  his  own  sufferings  and  mistakes  he  felt 
for  those  of  others;  the  trutlis  which  had  helped  him  could  aid  others. 
Never  were  the  beautiful  New  Church  doctrines  mere  abstractions  to 
him.  They  were  imparted  to  the  recipients  not  for  their  admiration 
only,  but  as  comfort  to  their  sorrows  and  aid  in  the  difliculties  of  daily 

-^  122  }s^  - 


POMEROY 

life.  So  his  studies  of  Swedenborg  were  not  undertaken  merely  to 
wander  free  in  new  and  broader  fields  of  intellectual  thought,  but  even 
at  the  outset  ''  to  overcome  inherent  deficiencies  "  in  his  own  character, 
and  afterwards,  when  it  became  his  duty  to  point  the  way  to  others, 
syiuj)athetically  to  meet  as  practically  as  possible  the  difficulties  which 
he  well  knew  from  experience  were  likely  to  be  encountered. 

Many  times  Mr.  Giles's  aptness  at  illustration  of  spiritual  truth  has 
been  mentioned.  Surely  the  need  of  adapting  knowledge  to  the  young 
minds  of  his  pupils,  with  the  experience  so  gained,  was  admirable  train- 
ing for  the  more  difficult  task  of  bringing  his  parishioners  into  clear 
perceptions  of  spiritual  truth  which  would  be  embodied  in  their 
characters. 

One  word  more  in  regard  to  this  period  of  Mr.  Giles's  life.  The 
morbid,  gloomy  sentiments  expressed  in  his  diary  will  be  a  great  sur- 
prise to  many.  To  none  was  it  more  overwhelmingly  astonishing  than 
to  his  own  children,  who  saw  tlie  diary  for  the  first  time  after  his  death. 
This  man  who  begins  his  diary  "  Desolation!  Desolation!  "  and  who  has 
many  thoughts  he  "  would  not  care  to  put  on  paper  "  is  not  the  loving, 
sunny  father  we  knew,  —  he  whose  genial  smile,  humorous  stories, 
loving  sympathy,  wise  counsels,  and  gentle  guidance  shed  cheerful 
radiance  over  our  childhood,  whose  companionship  was  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  itself,  and  whose  every  influence  was  tliat  of  Christian  cheer. 

From  knowledge  of  him  in  after  years  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  this 
inward  gloom  which  so  long  clouded  his  happiness  was  much  of  it  im- 
perceptible to  others.  Notwithstanding  the  morbid  "  shrinking  from 
his  fellows"  recorded  in  his  diary,  I  have  no  doubt  that  shining  tlirough 
these  cloud  strata  were  many  beams  of  humorous  brightness  and  cor- 
dially sympathetic  exchanges  of  thought  and  anecdote  with  others. 

The  complete  triumph  over  this  tendency  is  well  exemplified  in  a 
grateful  letter  Mr.  Giles  received  from  a  lady  who,  suffering  in  like 
manner,  had  come  to  him  for  help.  Mr.  Giles's  letter  I  did  not  see, 
but  the  lady  refers  to  his  remark  that  "  I  have  come  to  rejoice  in  meet- 
ing new  people  as  an  opportunity  of  increasing  my  sphere  of  heavenly 
influence."     Self  put  aside,  and  ordy  Christian  service  considered! 

To  give  some  details  of  the  life  in  Pomeroy  we  must  go  back  and 
review  them  as  mentioned  in  the  letters. 

On  December  27,  1850,  writing  from  Cincinnati,  he  says: 

My  French  teacher  comes  at  ten.  I  have  no  fear  but  that  I  shall 
accomplish  what  I  came  for,  and  if  I  do  I  suppose  I  ought  to  be  satis- 

-<i  123  ^■~ 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

fied.  I  read  nothing,  and  do  noUiing  but  study  until  I  am  tired,  and 
then  I  take  a  walk  and  come  back  and  go  at  it  again.  I  am  now  waiting 
for  dinner.  We  dine  at  two  o'clock.  Breakfast  at  eight,  and  tea  at 
half  past  six.  We  live  as  well  as  any  one  could  wish,  —  a  little  too  well 
for  health,  I  believe.  But  I  would  rather  have  a  dinner  of  herbs  with 
you  and  the  children  tlian  board  at  die  Burnet  House  alone. 

As  a  comment  upon  one  of  our  earlier  ministers,  I  add  the  following 
extract  from  tlie  same  letter: 

Eunice  Espy  looks  better  tlian  I  ever  saw  her  before;  she  says  Mr. 
Powell  holds  meetings  at  their  house  when  he  is  at  home,  and  they 
seem  to  excite  considerable  interest.  She  says  her  father  is  delighted 
with  the  society  of  Mr.  Powell.  I  have  no  doubt  but  he  will  exert  a 
very  charming  and  happy  influence  upon  them  all. 

In  the  summer  of  1850  Mrs.  Giles  witli  lier  children  went  to  her  old 
home  in  Palmyra  for  a  visit.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Giles  made  his 
first  visit  to  Boston  to  see  some  of  the  schools  tliere  and  to  learn  of  im- 
proved methods  of  education.     His  letters  tell  the  story. 

Boston,  Aug.  14,  1850. 

You  see  by  the  date  of  my  letter  that  I  am  in  the  famous  capital  of 
the  old  Bay  State.  We  arrived  here  last  night  about  six  o'clock.  We 
left  Albany  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  were  soon  rushing  over 
the  hills  to  Boston.  I  have  often  crossed  tlie  mountains  before,  but 
never  in  such  a  hurry.  We  actually  seemed  to  fly  while  going  down  the 
mountain.  But  the  cars  ran  very  steadily.  I  cannot  describe  my  sen- 
sations as  the  mountain  scenery  began  to  appear.  You  can  probably 
form  some  idea  of  diem  from  your  own  when  the  familiar  objects  of 
childhood  came  in  sight.  The  country  from  Springfield  to  Boston  is 
much  poorer  than  I  expected  to  find  it.  It  is  rough  and  barren.  As 
you  approach  Boston  it  begins  to  show  signs  of  cultivation  in  a  more 
perfect  manner,  and  the  barrenness  of  nature  is  in  a  good  degree  over- 
come by  the  art  and  skill  of  man.  I  have  already  seen  some  names 
well  known  to  fame  and  history. 

Every  one  is  now  busy  in  making  preparations  for  the  funeral  obse- 

-•^  124  ^'- 


POMEROY 

quies  of  General  Taylor.  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  get  into  Faneuil 
Hall  to  hear  the  Oration,  but  it  is  very  doubtful. 

It  will  take  a  little  time  to  get  accustomed  to  the  roar  and  bustle  of 
the  city,  which  is  tremendous. 

I  am  determined  to  see  something  if  there  is  anything  to  see  before 
I  leave.  I  am  afraid,  however,  that  I  shall  be  disappointed  in  the  main 
object  for  which  I  came.  It  is  now  vacation  in  all  the  schools.  I  intend 
to  go  to  West  Newton  to-morrow  or  next  day  to  visit  a  Normal  School. 
I  suppose  I  can  learn  as  much  from  one  good  school  as  from  half  a 
dozen. 

Boston,  Aug.  15,  1850. 
If  I  should  consult  my  own  feelings  I  would  leave  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. I  feel  so  lonely  and  desolate  here.  That  old  feeling  of  which  you 
have  heard  me  speak  comes  over  me  and  almost  overwhelms  me.  I 
should  like  to  flee  away  from  the  face  of  men;  I  wish  I  could  get  rid  of 
it.  But  I  am  afraid  I  never  shall;  I  have  been  wandering  about  tlie 
city  most  of  the  time  alone.  Yesterday  I  could  not  find  my  way  back 
without  inquiring.  Last  night  I  went  to  hear  Mr.  Booth  play  Shylock 
in  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice."  I  have  heard  Mr.  Horton  speak  of  his 
acting  often,  and  I  was  desirous  of  hearing  him.  He  is  the  best  actor 
I  ever  saw.  There  are  many  things  about  him  diat  remind  me  of  my 
father.  I  cannot  tell  what,  but  I  found  that  I  was  thinking  of  him  every 
few  minutes. 

Two  days  later  he  gives  an  accoimt  of  a  visit  to  see  Laura  Bridgman: 

Mrs.  T ,  who  went  with  us,  is  well  acquainted  with  her  and  can 

talk  widi  her.  I  was  much  gratified  with  what  I  saw  and  heard.  Laura 
was  reciting  her  lesson  in  geography.  She  stood  before  a  very  large 
globe  with  raised  figures  upon  it  and  answered  the  questions  by  finding 
them  or  putting  the  finger  of  her  teacher  upon  diem. 

The  moment  she  touched  Mrs.  T 's  hand  she  laughed  aloud  and 

expressed  the  greatest  joy.  She  asked  her  a  great  many  questions  about 
her  health  and  the  weather,  seemed  very  jocose  and  anxious  to  talk  all 
the  time.    They  communicate  with  her  by  means  of  the  deaf  and  dumb 

-<i  125  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

alphabet.  She  puts  her  hand  on  theperson  with  whom  she  wishes  to  talk 
and  so  knows  what  letters  he  makes.  Miss  Wight,  who  is  her  teacher, 
and  who  has  the  sole  care  of  her,  is  a  very  amiable  and  pleasant-looking 
girl.  Laura  would  pat  her  on  the  cheek  and  put  her  arms  around  her, 
and  was  constantly  exliibiting  some  signs  of  affection  for  her.  Miss 
Wight  is  reading  "  The  Neighbors "  to  Laura  now,  and  she  is  much 
interested  in  it.  She  told  me  that  she  could  communicate  a  page  of  it 
to  her  in  a  very  short  time  unless  there  were  new  ideas,  and  then  Laura 
wished  to  have  everything  explained  to  her.  Some  think  her  very 
handsome,  but  I  do  not. 

After  the  exercises  in  the  school  they  all  assembled  in  the  Chapel 
and  sang.     After  the  singing  they  went  to  play  and  we  came  home. 

For  a  time  all  went  well  with  the  school  at  Pomeroy.  Its  success 
from  every  standpoint  seemed  assured,  when  another  school  was  opened 
in  the  little  village,  too  small  to  support  two  good  schools.  This  was 
discouraging,  and  Dr.  Lakey,  their  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend, 
writes  of  it,  also  commenting  on  his  pleasure  in  meeting  Mrs.  Giles  in 
Palmyra. 

Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  30,  1850. 

Yours  of  October  14  was  received  November  4.  Its  slow  passage  is 
still  an  unexplained  mystery! 

I  rejoice  to  hear  that  your  health  is  better,  and  hope  you  will  continue 
to  gain  and  continue  the  cold  water.  I  would  also  recommend  the  use 
of  the  dumb-bells  and  a  hard  bed.  My  general  health  is  better  than  in 
July,  yet  I  am  a  great  sufferer  from  my  unfortunate  ankle  and  am  not 
able  to  travel.  Your  late  visit  afforded  me  great  pleasure,  as  I  was  con- 
fident that  the  change  of  scene  would  add  to  your  health  and  strength. 
In  your  next  you  must  give  me  a  longer  letter.  Be  careful  of  your 
health  and  let  your  bedroom  have  plenty  of  fresh  air.  Give  my  love 
to  your  husband  and  the  little  ones. 

Chauncey,  it  seems,  is  threatened  with  a  rival  school,  —  sectarian  of 
course;  sectarian  schools  are  anti-American  and  unchristian  in  every 
respect,  and  yet  many  of  our  Protestant  sects  have  them!  Is  not  this 
one  cause  of  the  present  low  state  of  our  Academies  and  Colleges? 

That  they  are  going  down  is  asserted  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  ,  but  every 

-4  126  ^'- 


POMEROY 

■well-informed  man  knew  of  their  degradation  before!  If  your  hus- 
band keeps  a  steady  hand  he  wi  11  triumph  over  all  opposition.  He  would 
do  well  to  teach  his  pupils  what  is  not  taught  in  any  school  or  college 
in  our  country:  1.  To  divide  the  year  correctly.  2.  To  reckon  money 
aright  and  to  reckon  time  aright.  3.  To  speak  good  English.  Let  my 
nephew  do  this  and  tlie  immense  superiority  of  his  pupils  would  soon 
appear.    Intelligent  parents  would  prefer  his  school  to  any  other. 

In  order  to  meet  the  best  educators  of  the  day  and  learn  what  he 
could  from  them,  Mr.  Giles  attended  the  Teachers'  Convention  in 
Cleveland  and  thus  relates  his  experiences: 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  Husband 

Cleveland,  Aug.  19,  1851. 
I  arrived  here  safely  from  Grandpa's  ["  Grandpa  Espy,"  as  he  was 
affectionately  known;  one  of  the  earliest  New  Churchmen  of  Ohio  and 
a  warm  friend  of  Mr.  Giles's]  last  evening.  I  could  not  but  contrast 
our  passage  on  the  Corduroy  Rail  ten  years  ago  with  that  of  yesterday. 
It  had  rained  and  there  was  no  dust.  The  road  is  good  and  we  went 
nearly  twenty-five  miles  an  hour.  We  dined  in  Columbus  and  arrived 
here  to  tea  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I  don't  know  when  I  have 
had  a  more  pleasant  journey.  Nearly  all  the  travel  comes  tliis  way. 
They  say  there  are  not  often  more  than  three  or  four  passengers 
through  to  Sandusky.  Their  day  of  innings  is  over,  I  hope.  I  put  up 
at  the  American  House.  Only  two  dollars  a  day.  This  morning  I  con- 
cluded to  accept  the  hospitality  of  the  city  and  I  was  ticketed  upon  a 

man  by  the  name  of ,  who  has  a  beautiful  place  about  half  a  mile 

from  the  main  street.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  and  a  hot-headed  free- 
soiler.  His  wife  is  away  and  a  very  pretty  and  agreeable  daughter 
does  the  hosjiitality  of  the  house.  She  wears  her  hair  a  la  Jenny  Lind 
and  says  "  Yes  "  witli  a  rising  inflection  to  everything  I  say.  They  live 
in  very  good  style  in  a  cottage  of  a  somewhat  singular  construction. 
There  are  quite  a  number  of  gentlemen  from  all  i)arts  of  the  Union 

here.     I  found  T ,  but  I  did  not  have  much  conversation  with  him. 

I  am  a  total  stranger  and  so  have  none  of  the  cordial  greetings  which 

-4  127  ^'- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

many  receive.  A  book  agent  occasionally  makes  up  to  me  and  wishes 
to  know  if  I  have  recommended  his  primer;  but  I  shall  get  acquainted, 
and  that  is  one  step  towards  fame,  —  and  about  the  only  one,  I  presume. 

Bishop  Potter  gave  us  a  very  fine  address  and  then  those  who  wished 
to  join  paid  tliree  dollars  and  thus  became  members  of  the  American 
Education  Society.  I  think  we  shall  have  a  very  interesting  time  of  it 
and  I  shall  enjoy  it  very  much.  The  old  lake  looks  glorious.  I  wish 
I  could  take  a  trip  on  it,  but  I  don't  think  I  shall.  I  expect  now  to  go 
to  Lima  Saturday  and  then  to  Urbana,  from  there  to  Cincinnati,  and 
then  home.  Home  to  you,  little  Sugar  Bun!  Oh,  I  want  to  see  you  so 
much.  I  expect  you  will  be  so  fat  tliat  you  cannot  see.  Keep  your  eyes 
open,  Bub,  and  don't  let  them  cheat  you  out  of  your  dinners.  Wake  up 
and  cry  if  they  don't  attend  to  you  in  time.  [This  refers  to  Chauncey 
Lakey  Giles,  who  was  then  two  months  old.] 

I  have  not  heard  from  you  yet.  I  hope  I  shall  to-morrow.  When  I 
left  Mr.  Espy's  he  was  quite  well.  He  felt  weak  but  was  free  from 
pain  and  got  up  to  breakfast.  They  all  send  a  great  deal  of  love  to 
you  and  regret  very  much  that  you  did  not  come  in  the  winter,  and  Mr. 
Espy  has  promised  to  make  us  a  visit.  It  is  so  dark  that  I  cannot  see. 
I  have  written  this  letter  as  fast  as  my  fingers  could  fly,  in  the  sitting- 
room  where  all  are  talking  and  I  am  compelled  to  join  in  the  conversa- 
tion. It  will  probably  take  you  longer  to  read  it  than  it  did  me  to 
write  it.    Good  night. 

Cleveland,  Aug.  21,  1851. 
I  wish  you  could  be  with  me.  It  would  afford  me  great  pleasure  to 
have  you  hear  the  debates  and  see  this  beautiful  city.  Our  Convention 
holds  its  sittings  in  the  church  we  attended  when  we  passed  tlirough 
here  on  our  way  to  Hamilton.  I  do  not  think  I  have  lost  anything  of 
my  self-esteem  by  my  contact  with  the  great  educators  of  the  age.  If 
I  were  as  accustomed  to  public  speaking  as  many  of  them  I  feel  as 
though  I  could  express  myself  quite  as  well.  I  have  never  felt  so  great 
a  desire  to  speak  as  I  have  sometimes  in  the  debates  of  the  Conven- 
tion. If  I  had  yielded  to  the  temptation  I  presume  I  should  have  made 
as  great  a  fool  of  myself  as  have  some  others.    We  had  a  fine  lecture 

-4  128  ^^ 


POMEROY 

this  evening  from  Professor  Agnew  of  Michigan  on  the  subject  of  Fe- 
male Education.  It  was  highly  polished  and  pretty  well  developed,  but 
after  all  it  did  not  seem  to  come  quite  up  to  my  ideas  of  what  a  lecture 
of  that  sort  should  be.  It  was  a  beautiful  form  but  it  seemed  to  lack 
soul.  The  president  followed  the  address  with  some  very  appropriate 
remarks  and  then  the  subject  was  open  for  discussion,  but  there  was 
not  an  idea  that  was  new  or  particularly  striking  uttered  by  a  single 
individual.  I  supposed  I  should  meet  men  of  mature  minds  who  had 
well-digested  ideas  on  the  subjects  which  would  come  before  the  Con- 
vention, who  could  express  them  with  earnestness,  dignity,  and  fervor; 
but  it  is  more  like  a  debating  club  of  schoolboys.  There  is  the  most 
violent  gesticulation  and  vociferous  speaking  on  the  most  common- 
place topics.  As  I  said  before,  I  have  lost  nothing  in  my  self-esteem 
by  coming  in  contact  with  these  great  lights  of  the  age.  I  think  it  will 
do  me  much  good  and  perhaps  give  me  a  more  just  appreciation  of 
myself. 

Lima,  Aug.  24,  1851. 
I  attended  church  this  morning  and  heard  one  of  the  most  furious 
cut-and-thrust  sermons  I  have  heard  for  a  long  time.  It  seemed  to  me 
tlie  man  made  a  great  fool  of  himself.  He  gesticulated,  screamed, 
roared,  whined,  caught  his  heart  as  though  it  was  bursting,  and  groaned 
as  if  in  agony.  The  perspiration  poured  from  him  and  he  seemed 
at  times  quite  exhausted.  I  looked  around  at  the  audience  to  see  what 
effect  his  discourse  had  upon  them,  but  I  could  not  discover  that  they 
thought  it  anything  extraordinaiy.  They  seemed  to  think  it  was  all 
right,  gaped,  and  looked  around  while  he  was  rolling  up  his  eyes  like 
an  expiring  chicken  and  making  the  most  passionate  appeals  to  them  to 
have  faith.  What  an  effect  it  must  have  upon  those  who  pretend  to 
believe  in  the  truths  of  these  things  but  do  not  regard  them  really  in 
dieir  hearts,  to  hear  them  preached  in  this  way!  I  believe  I  could 
preach  better  myself.  I  think  my  bump  of  self-esteem  must  be  in- 
creasing.    It  surely  has  lost  nothing  by  my  journeying  so  far. 

In  1849  there  was  a  meeting  in  Cincinnati  to  plan  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  New  Church  school  in  Urbana.    There  must  have  been  some 

-4  129  }•>- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

talk  of  having  Mr.  Giles  go  there  as  teacher.  Later  1  know  he  was 
offered  the  position  of  Professor  of  Languages  but  he  became  a  New 
Church  minister  instead.  His  interest  in  the  school  was,  however,  un- 
failing. He  was  a  non-resident  president  of  the  school  for  many  years, 
and  his  letters  to  Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams  give  counsel  and  running  com- 
ment on  all  its  affairs. 

Dr.  Lakey  makes  the  first  reference  whicli  I  find  in  the  family  letters 
to  Urbana. 

March  5,  1851. 

Yours  of  February  2  is  on  my  table.  Eunice  writes  of  a  New  Church 
school  about  to  begin  in  Urbana;  that  is  a  rich  town  and  perhaps  a 
school  tliere  would  be  profitable.  If  some  of  the  wealthy  brethren 
would  guarantee  to  you  a  salary  certain  for  the  first  year  you  might 
find  a  removal  safe  and  profitable.  Your  Church  is  in  Scripture 
language  like  a  little  flock  of  kids  as  to  numbers,  while  the  others, 
like  the  armies  of  the  King  of  Syria,  fill  the  country.  Perhaps  the  result 
of  the  spiritual  battle  may  be  the  same  as  in  the  olden  times. 

A  few  months  later  he  writes: 

Palmyra,  Aug.  30,  1851. 

You  speak  of  Urbana;  will  your  friends  continue  to  keep  that  berth 
open  and  vacant  for  you?  You  are  now  delightfully  situated,  but  will 
that  enable  you  to  provide  for  age  and  a  rainy  day?  I  know  that  the 
great  general  mass  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  but  I  think  it  a  wretched 
way  of  living.  Tlie  president  of  a  college  has  a  fixed  salary  on  which 
he  can  live  and  leave  something  for  his  children  after  he  has  departed 
to  the  spirit  land.  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  see  you  President 
of  Urbana  College.  You  have  fought  in  the  ranks  long  enough.  A 
teacher  of  a  private  school  has  to  act  also  as  tax  collector,  two  offices 
rather  incompatible.  Remember,  "There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of 
men,"  then  take  the  Urbana  tide  at  "  flood  "  if  it  flow  high  enough.  I 
hope  you  will  visit  that  town. 

The  following  letters  from  Mr.  Giles  show  his  interest  in  the  project 
of  a  New  Church  school.  They  also  mention  his  election  to  the  Profes- 
sorship of  Languages.  After  some  consideration  it  was  decided  not 
to  accept  the  position  and  of  this  also  the  letters  treat. 

-4  130  ^»- 


POMEROY 
To  Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams 

PoMEROY,  Nov.  9,  1851. 

When  I  left  Urbana  I  thought  you  would  hear  from  me  long  before 
this,  though  I  have  nothing  special  to  communicate.  But  I  have  been 
constantly  occupied.  Since  school  commenced  I  have  had  no  assist- 
ance, except  in  German  and  French,  and  of  course  have  a  great  variety 
of  matters  which  need  my  attention.  Besides  my  school  duties  I  am 
learning  the  German  language.  I  generally  spend  four  hours  a  day 
upon  it  and  one  hour  in  studying  music.  Thus,  in  addition  to  the  usual 
amount  of  visiting  and  the  time  necessarily  occupied  in  supplying  the 
wants  of  a  family  consisting  of  fifteen  members,  I  am  kept  pretty  busily 
engaged.  From  the  little  I  have  already  learned  of  German  I  am  de- 
lighted with  it,  and  diough  I  am  not  able  to  give  a  specific  answer  to 
the  oft-repeated  question  of  my  friends,  "Of  what  use  will  it  be  to 
you?"  I  have  no  fear  that  it  will  be  labor  spent  in  vain.  The  pleasure 
which  I  shall  derive  from  roaming  at  will  in  a  field  so  rich  in  thought 
will  be  ample  compensation  if  I  receive  no  other.  There  has  been  no 
essential  change  in  my  school.  The  opposition  school  is  yet  in  opera- 
tion but  with  greatly  diminished  numbers. 

How  do  you  get  along  with  the  University?  I  suppose  the  building 
is  nearly  completed  by  this  time.  Have  you  made  any  new  movements 
or  excited  any  new  opposition  since  I  was  there?  I  regretted  that  I 
could  not  see  more  of  you  during  my  short  stay  and  learn  more  fully 
your  plans. 

I  have  seen  no  town  in  Ohio  of  tlie  same  size  which  contains  so 
many  beautiful  residences,  and  as  the  fashion  of  the  thing  is  now  es- 
tablished and  the  current  has  set  in  the  right  direction,  I  see  noth- 
ing to  prevent  Urbana  from  becoming  as  noted  for  the  beauty  and 
good  taste  of  its  homes  as  the  country  around  it  is  for  its  excellent  soil. 

I  have  thought  of  many  things  connected  with  your  University  since  I 
left  upon  which  I  should  like  to  converse  with  you  if  you  had  not  been 
so  much  engaged.     One  point  I  will  mention  now. 

Do  you  intend  to  organize  regular  college  classes  in  which  a  specific 
amount  of  study  shall  be  pursued?     The  subject  of  Colleges  and  Uni- 

-<i  131  }2^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

versities,  of  "  full  courses  "  and  "  partial  courses,"  seems  to  be  one  of 
those  open  questions  which  cannot  now  be  decided,  but  which  is  just 
at  this  time  exciting  considerable  interest  in  our  community.  I  wish 
you  could  have  been  at  Cleveland  during  the  discussion  of  that  subject. 
The  lecture  which  I  gave  you  is  a  pretty  good  statement  of  one  side,  but 
it  was  rather  roughly  handled  in  the  debate  which  followed.  Its  deliv- 
ery and  some  of  its  doctrines  were  so  ably  combated  that  though  I 
was  inclined  to  coincide  with  the  lecture  I  found  myself  in  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Dutch  judge  who  never  wished  to  hear  but  one  side  of  the 
question,  as  he  could  llius  make  his  decision  much  easier. 

POMEROY,  Aug.  2,  1851. 

I  received  on  the  30th  a  joint  letter  from  Mr.  Stuart  and  Dr.  Murdock 
announcing  my  appointment  to  a  professorship  in  tlie  Urbana  Uni- 
versity. You  know  Mr.  Stuart's  laconic  way  of  writing.  He  simply 
announced  the  fact,  but  it  seems  to  me  important  that  I  have  some  ad- 
ditional information  before  I  can  come  to  an  intelligent  decision,  and 
you  will  confer  a  great  favor  upon  me  if  you  will  inform  me  as  well  as 
you  can  how  matters  stand  and  what  is  expected  of  me.  Mr.  Stuart 
says  I  am  elected  "  Professor  of  Languages,"  which  certainly  covers  a 
very  wide  field.  Have  you  decided  upon  any  plan  of  organization  or 
marked  out  any  course  of  study,  or  is  tliat  yet  to  be  arranged? 

Dr.  Murdock  wrote  something  in  relation  to  a  house,  and  from  his 
letter  I  suppose  it  is  expected  that  I  shall  take  boarders.  If  we  went 
to  Urbana  we  thought  of  selling  off  the  most  of  our  furniture  and  living 
in  a  quiet  way  for  a  while,  and  we  would  much  prefer  to  be  alone.  If 
we  have  none  but  our  owti  family  we  should  not  need  so  large  a  house 
as  the  one  about  which  Dr.  Murdock  writes. 

To  Milo  G.  Williams 

PoMEROY,  Aug.  3,  1851. 

Your  letter  containing  an  invitation  to  attend  the  laying  of  the 
corner  stone  of  the  University  was  duly  received  and  I  should  have  been 
much  pleased  to  accept  it,  but  I  could  not  leave  home.  Inasmuch,  how- 
ever, as  we  considered  it  a  very  important  day  and  worthy  to  be  com- 

-4  132  }>'- 


POMEROY 

memorated,  though  absent,  we  had  a  little  celebration  of  our  own,  and 
Mrs.  Giles  presented  me  with  a  son  (Chauncey  Lakey).  If  the  Univer- 
sity manifests  as  many  signs  of  vigor  and  grows  as  fast  as  he  does, 
it  will  soon  become  one  of  the  first  institutions  in  the  West. 

Before  Mr.  Giles  had  received  the  call  to  Cincinnati  and  had  given 
up  the  school  in  Pomeroy,  and  while  he  was  at  the  same  time  preaching 
as  a  missionary  in  various  places,  he  writes  thus  to  his  wife  while  visit- 
ing in  Chicago: 

Mr.  Scammon,  who  is  a  very  wealthy  man  and  was  the  first  receiver 
of  the  Doctrines  in  Chicago,  took  me  in  his  carriage  and  carried  me 
around  the  city,  pointing  out  to  me  tlie  "Lions."  I  took  tea  with 
him  and  after  tea  we  took  a  long  walk.  He  is  very  anxious  to  have  a 
New  Church  school  started  in  Chicago  which  may  ultimately  grow  into 
an  immense  city.  He  said  he  was  willing  to  give  five  and  if  necessary 
ten  thousand  dollars  to  begin  one,  and  he  tliought  one  could  be  well 
supported.  He  wanted  to  know  if  I  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  take  the 
position,  and  we  had  a  long  talk  upon  the  subject  before  I  came  away. 
He  said  he  would  guarantee  me  a  thousand  dollars  a  year  if  I  would 
come  and  start  a  school  and  wished  me  to  write  to  him  when  I  got 
home.  Mr.  Hibbard  also  thought  I  should  do  well  to  go  diere.  So 
you  see,  my  dear,  tliat  Providence  seems  to  be  opening  a  way  for  us, 
if  we  should  be  driven  from  Pomeroy.  It  affords  me  great  pleasure 
to  find  that  people  —  strangers  —  seem  to  be  so  favorably  impressed 
with  me. 

Mr.  Scammon  was  an  ardent  New  Churchman  who  had  full  confi- 
dence in  the  growth  of  the  New  Church.  This  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  action  taken  by  him  in  1843.  At  this  time  Chicago  was  a  town 
of  only  eight  thousand  inhabitants.  There  was  neither  a  railroad  nor  a 
canal  in  the  place,  but  the  Canal  Commissioners  were  giving  out  build- 
ing lots  to  be  used  in  the  future  by  churches  which  desired  tliem.  Mr. 
Scammon  organized  a  small  society  with  a  membership  of  three  only: 
himself  as  president,  his  wife,  and  a  Mr.  Lowell  as  secretary,  and  made 
application  for  one  of  the  lots.  The  petition  was  granted  and  a  lot 
deeded  to  this  society  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  It  was  situated  on 
Adams  Street. 

-ie{  133  ]^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  mention  of  Mr.  Hibbard  recalls  some  interesting  anecdotes  con- 
cerning him. 

Mr.  Giles  says  of  him: 

I  like  Mr.  Hibbard  very  well.  He  seems  to  be  a  downright  sort  of 
man.  I  should  think  he  was  the  right  kind  of  a  man  to  introduce  the 
doctrines  and  superintend  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  His  wife  has 
taught  some  but  does  not  now,  I  believe.  She  also  seems  to  have  a 
business-like  character.  They  have  no  children  and  I  should  think  they 
both  suffered  from  it.  The  softening  and  elevating  influences  which 
the  care  of  children  and  a  constant  association  with  them  have  upon 
most  persons,  I  should  think  diey  need. 

Mr.  Hibbard  began  as  an  Evangelist  in  the  United  Brethren  at  so 
early  an  age  that  he  was  known  as  the  "  Boy  Preacher."  He  first  be- 
came interested  in  the  New  Church  in  1836  through  a  copy  of  the  "True 
Christian  Religion,"  which  he  found  in  a  log  cabin.  He  read  and 
studied  while  traveling  on  horseback  between  stations.  Mention  is 
also  made  of  his  visit  to  Steiger's  Rest,  a  small  colony  founded  by 
Baron  Steiger,  formerly  one  of  Napoleon's  generals,  who  became  con- 
verted to  the  New  Church  doctrines  in  Philadelphia.  Baron  Steiger 
built  a  small  church  which  his  tenants  attended  regularly,  but  on  his 
death  the  society  ceased  to  exist. 

Not  long  after  Mr.  Hibbard's  entrance  into  the  ministry  he  con- 
verted his  father,  the  Rev.  Elisha  Hibbard,  and  both  became  New 
Church  ministers.  Mr.  Hibbard  had  some  interesting  experiences 
while  traveling  about  the  country.  On  one  occasion  he  met  a  young 
man  who  declared  very  positively  that  he  knew  all  about  Swedenborg, 
and  that  there  was  nothing  in  his  ideas.  Mr.  Hibbard  questioned  him 
closely  and  found  that  his  "  exhaustive  study  "  was  confined  to  a  few 
pages  of  "Heaven  and  Hell."  "Young  man,"  said  Mr.  Hibbard, 
"  don't  you  think  you  are  doing  rather  a  large  business  on  a  very  small 
capital?  " 

On  one  of  his  journeys  he  was  introduced  to  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
Springfield,  Illinois.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  a  member  of  any  of  the 
various  sects  or  churches.  A  very  few  knew  why.  He  was  a  religious 
man,  a  very  conscientious  man,  and  his  conscience  was  formed  by  the 
Ten  Commandments  and  the  Word  of  God,  which  in  private  he  read 
much.  His  views  were  largely  influenced  by  the  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg, lent  him  by  his  friend  Mr.  I.  S.  Britton  in  1842-1843.    Mr.  Brit- 

-^  134  }■>.- 


POMEROY 

ton  was  the  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  and  the  most  prominent 
New  Churchman  in  Springfield. 

From  the  following  letter  from  Dr.  Lakey  we  learn  of  Mr.  Giles's  final 
decision  not  to  go  to  Urbana. 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  1,  1851. 

Yours,  mailed  August  27th,  lies  before  me.  So  then  you  "allow" 
that  you  will  not  be  '"Mrs.  Professor  Giles"  at  present!  By  the  bye, 
the  Boston  papers  mentioned  the  death  of  Mrs.  Taylor,  the  widow  of 
the  late  President  Taylor;  but  our  Western  papers  speak  of  "Mrs.  Gen- 
eral Taylor,"  as  if  the  good  woman  had  actually  fought  the  bloody 
battles  of  Bridgewater  and  Chippewa!    Out  upon  such  bastard  English! 

It  had  now  become  customary  for  Mr.  Giles  to  preach  either  to  the 
society  in  Pomeroy  or  to  other  small  societies  in  neighboring  towns. 
As  the  work  grew  in  usefulness  it  became  evident  that  the  time  was 
ripe  for  his  ordination. 

The  first  request  for  this  came  from  Rutland,  Ohio,  and  was  made 
to  Rev.  David  Powell  by  the  leading  men  of  that  society. 

In  compliance  with  their  request  Mr.  Giles  was  ordained  in  Cincin- 
nati, in  the  presence  of  the  Ohio  Conference  of  the  New  Church,  into 
the  first  degree  of  the  ministry. 

In  May  of  the  following  year  he  was  ordained  before  the  same  body 
into  the  second  degree  of  tlie  ministry.  This  ordination  not  only  au- 
tliorized  him  to  conduct  public  worship  but  to  administer  the  rites  of 
baptism  and  the  sacraments  of  the  Holy  Supper,  to  solemnize  mar- 
riages, and  to  perform  "  all  the  holy  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
church  "  except  that  of  ordination. 

In  October,  1853,  Mr.  Giles  received  a  call  from  the  Cincinnati  So- 
ciety to  become  its  pastor. 

Before  bidding  farewell  altogether  to  the  schooldays  it  may  be  inter- 
esting to  have  the  viewpoint  of  one  of  Mr.  Giles's  pupils.  As  nearly  as 
I  can  ascertain  the  boy  was  perhaps  fourteen  years  of  age.  As  he  never 
expected  his  diar>'  to  be  read  by  friends  of  Mr.  Giles,  his  opinions  may 
be  considered  strictly  impartial. 

These  are  extracts  from  the  diary  of  Homer  Plantz: 

Pomeroy,  Ohio,  July  8,  1852.  This  morning  I  commenced  to  board 
with  Mr.  Giles,  our  teacher.  I  like  to  board  there  very  much.  He  is 
such  a  good  man  and  so  kind  to  us.    The  boarders  (of  whom  tliere  are 

-<i  135  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY    GILES 

six)  are  all  very  pleasant.  I  study  Latin  and  German.  I  am  reading 
Cicero's  Orations,  and  aldiough  Uiey  are  hard  I  diink  I  can  get  along 
very  well. 

To-night  Mr.  Giles  took  us  all  over  in  swimming. 

To-day  it  is  not  quite  so  hot  as  it  has  been,  and  I  hope  it  will  not  be 
so  hot  again  soon.  This  afternoon  we  had  our  General  Exercises  at 
school,  —  that  is,  we  spoke  pieces  and  wrote  compositions.  We  have 
this  to  do  every  week.    We  have  about  forty  scholars. 

I  like  the  arrangements  at  Mr.  Giles's  very  well.  We  breakfast  at 
six  o'clock  and  take  tea  at  six  in  the  evening.  We  study  at  the  Acad- 
emy from  seven  till  eight  in  the  morning.  John  W is  my  bed- 
fellow.   The  fare  is  good. 

Aug.  16.  Mr.  Giles  has  been  appointed  Professor  of  Languages  in 
Urbana  University  and  I  am  afraid  he  will  go. 

Aug.  20.  Last  night  Mr.  Giles  and  Pa  came  out,  and  Mr.  Giles 
preached.  His  sermon  was  on  the  text  "  The  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations."  Mr.  Giles  is  not  going  to  Urbana.  I  am 
very  glad,  as  I  think  he  is  such  a  good  teacher  that  we  cannot  spare  him. 

Oct.  14.  This  is  a  beautiful  morning  but  it  is  very  cold.  We  have 
one  new  scholar  this  morning.  We  now  have  a  very  pleasant  school. 
The  school  is  a  very  still  one  and  the  scholars  all  seem  to  desire  to  learn. 
I  think  it  is  as  pleasant  a  quarter  as  we  have  ever  had.  I  think  that 
I  never  saw  a  teacher  who  impressed  the  duty  so  much  upon  the  schol- 
ars to  do  right  from  right  motives  as  Mr.  Giles.  He  says  that  in  all 
our  plays  and  in  all  our  intercourse  with  each  other  we  should  "  Do 
unto  others  as  we  would  be  done  by."  If  we  all  could  follow  this  rule 
how  much  more  happy  our  school  would  be. 

Oct.  15.  This  morning  when  Mr.  Giles  was  reading  in  the  Bible  at 
family  prayers  he  read  Christ's  injunctions  to  the  disciples  to  take  no 
money  with  them  and  not  to  take  two  coats  apiece.  He  explained  it 
according  to  the  Doctrine  of  Correspondences.  By  not  taking  two  coats 
apiece  with  them  is  signified  that  one  should  not  have  two  doctrines,  and 
by  not  having  any  money  is  meant  to  give  up  one's  proprium  and  do  that 
which  is  good.  How  beautiful  does  the  Science  of  Correspondences 
make  that  which  before  seemed  unmeaning,  and  how  practical  does  it 

-4,  136  ^"- 


POMEROY 

make  that  which  seemed  before  to  be  but  a  little  history  or  an  inex- 
plicable mystery. 

Jan.  9,  1853.  To-day  I  have  been  reading  the  "  History  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte."  Went  to  Sheffield  with  Mr.  Giles  in  a  skiff  and  helped  him 
row.  He  preached  the  sermon  on  Leaves.  '"  And  tlie  leaves  of  the  tree 
were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  I  have  now  heard  this  sermon  four 
times  and  each  time  I  have  understood  more  and  more  and  liked  it  better 
and  better.  It  is  thought  by  some  to  be  the  best  sermon  Mr.  Giles  ever 
preached,  and  I  think  it  is.  It  is  full  of  instruction,  and  is  so  beauti- 
fully written  tliat  no  one  could  help  but  admire  it.  Indeed  all  of  Mr. 
Giles's  sermons  are  excellent,  and  they  are  so  plain  that  one  who  has 
never  read  any  of  the  New  Church  books  can  understand  him. 

Jan.  13.  To-day  I  am  at  school.  Learned  a  very  hard  Philosophy 
lesson  on  the  Steam  Engine.  Mr.  Giles  is  going  to  take  us  some  day 
soon  to  look  at  an  engine  and  see  if  it  will  not  help  us  to  understand  it. 
It  is  hard  to  imderstand,  and  especially  for  those  who  have  never  ex- 
amined one. 

Jan.  15.  At  noon  I  had  a  debate  with  Mr.  Giles  on  the  character  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte.  Mr.  Giles  thought  that  Napoleon  was  fighting  for 
the  sake  of  it  and  for  the  love  of  glory.  I  thought  that  he  fought  for  the 
good  of  France  and  in  self-defense,  and  endeavored  to  show  that  Napo- 
leon was  always  attacked  before  he  fought  —  that  is,  that  others  always 
began  the  war,  while  he  always  ended  it.  It  was  true  that  he  always 
went  out  of  his  own  country  to  fight,  but  that  did  not  alter  the  case; 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  let  the  enemy  come  into  France.  Mr.  Giles 
then  spoke  of  the  battle  of  Austerlitz  when  a  great  many  perished  on 
the  ice,  the  French  soldiers  having  broken  the  ice  on  which  the  enemy 
was  flying.  He  asked  me  if  that  was  right.  I  told  him  that  Napoleon 
was  fighting  for  the  liberty  of  France  and  that  war  in  itself  is  a  dread- 
ful system,  but  I  did  not  think  that  any  worse  than  all  the  occurrences. 

Jan.  20.  This  morning  Mr.  Giles  made  a  few  very  appropriate  re- 
marks to  the  scholars  on  behavior  in  school  and  our  manner  of  studying. 
He  said  that  we  were  not  merely  learning  the  knowledge  contained  in 
our  books  while  we  were  at  school,  but  we  were  forming  habits  either 
good  or  bad  which  must  go  with  us  to  eternity.     If  we  would  whisper 

— 3{  137  )S^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

because  we  thought  he  did  not  see  us  it  was  forming  a  bad  habit  which 
must  go  with  us  wherever  we  are.  By  so  doing  we  lose  our  liabits  of 
self-control  and  of  resisting  temptation  and  form  habits  of  acting 
wrongly  and  deceitfully.  That  he  did  not  wish  to  punish  any  one,  but 
that  he  wishes  each  one  to  refrain  from  doing  wrong  not  because  he  said 
they  should  not  do  it  or  they  were  afraid  tliey  should  be  punished  if  they 
did  it,  but  to  do  it  from  right  motives,  to  do  right  because  it  is  right. 
How  important  is  this;  may  we  think  of  it  in  all  we  do  and  may  the  Lord 
aid  us  in  resisting  temptations  and  forming  right  habits. 

Jan.  24.  To-day  one  of  the  boys  was  making  a  noise  in  school  with 
something  and  Mr.  Giles  asked  him  what  he  had.  He  said,  "  Nodiing." 
Mr.  Giles  then  went  to  him  and  took  it  away  from  him.  He  then 
brought  it  to  me  and  said  that  he  had  got  what  the  world  was  made  of. 
I  told  him  I  thought  probably  it  was  a  larger  piece  of  nothing  than  that. 
Mr.  Giles  thought  so  too. 

Jan.  30.  This  morning  I  went  up  to  the  Episcopal  Church  and  heard 
Mr.  Dooley  preach.  His  main  object  was  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of 
his  hearers  the  non-connection  of  Scripture  and  Religion  with  the  "  vain 
philosophies  "  and  "  reasonings  "  of  tliis  world. 

In  tlie  afternoon  I  heard  Mr.  Giles  preach  a  sermon  in  which  he 
showed  the  connection  of  the  Natural  World  with  the  Spiritual  and  a 
system  which  will  reconcile  all  the  apparent  difficulties  in  the  Word  and 
join  togetlier  all  scientific  and  religious  trutli. 

Feb.  20.  This  morning  Mr.  Giles  gave  me  a  copy  of  the  first  number 
of  the  New-Church  Messenger,  a  paper  which  has  just  been  started  in 
Cincinnati.     It  is  a  very  good  paper,  I  think. 

Feb.  21.  To-day  Mrs.  Giles  gave  me  a  lecture  on  reading  so  much. 
She  said  it  was  just  as  much  dissipation  and  intemperance  as  the  drink- 
ing of  spirituous  liquors.  She  said  she  thought  my  New  Church  views 
ought  to  keep  me  from  doing  that  which  would  injure  my  health  and 
that  I  should  practise  the  truth  which  I  already  know.  This  is  not  the 
first  time  that  she  has  talked  to  me  tliis  way,  and  she  is  such  a  good  and 
affectionate  woman  that  I  love  her  and  must  respect  her  advice.  Mrs. 
Giles  is  one  of  the  best  women  I  ever  knew  and  I  am  sure  she  has  been 
very  kind  to  me  and  has  been  like  a  mother  ever  since  I  came  to  live 

-4  138  )§t..- 


POMEROY 

here.  I  hope  I  have  never  done  anything  to  hurt  her  feelings,  for  I  am 
sure  I  never  intended  to  and  would  not  do  it  for  anything.  I  shall 
never  forget  her  loving  kindness  and  her  care  for  my  welfare  and  I 
shall  ever  try  to  imitate  her  example. 

Because  of  overstudy  and  consequent  headaches  Homer  was  obliged 
to  leave  school. 

He  writes  from  Rutland  as  follows: 

March  26.  Mr.  Giles  laid  down  the  following  rules  in  his  letter  in 
regard  to  reading:  1st.  I  must  not  read  more  than  one  chapter  in  the 
Word  in  a  day.  2nd.  That  I  must  not  read  at  all  in  the  evening,  and  he 
says  that  if  I  was  not  to  see  a  book  at  all  for  five  years  it  would  be  better 
for  me  and  I  would  know  more  by  the  time  I  was  twenty-five  years 
old.  I  am  trying  his  plan  to-day  but  find  it  very  hard  to  do  so. 
Napoleon  said,  "  He  is  a  poor  soldier  who  cannot  subdue  his  own  pas- 
sions," and  so  I  must  try  to  subdue  my  passion  for  reading,  for  a  while 
at  least. 

The  letter  here  referred  to  was  addressed,  "  H.  G.  Plantz,  W.  N., 
which  means  of  course  "  Worshiper  of  Napoleon." 

Later  on  he  writes,  "  Mr.  Giles's  rules  are  too  hard.  I  cannot  live 
up  to  them." 

Pomeroy,  April  12.  Spent  most  of  the  time  at  Mr.  Giles's.  They  all 
seem  very  glad  that  I  have  come  back.  Mrs.  Giles  wants  me  to  come 
there  and  live  again,  and  I  am  sure  I  want  to  very  much.  I  never  can 
find  friends  which  will  take  the  place  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles. 

Athens,  April  24.  This  evening  I  attended  the  Methodist  meeting. 
The  preacher's  text  was,  "  For  the  Lord  God  is  a  sun  and  shield."  Mr. 
Giles  wrote  a  sermon  on  that  text  once.  It  was  entirely  a  different  ser- 
mon from  this  one.  The  truth  is  I  never  heard  a  preacher  I  liked  as 
well  as  Mr.  Giles.  I  love  him  so  I  must  like  to  hear  him  preach,  and 
preaching  as  he  does  what  I  believe  to  be  tlie  trutli,  and  preaching  and 
writing  so  well,  I  like  him  slill  belter. 

May  5.  Had  a  long  conversation  with  Mrs.  Giles  this  afternoon.  She 
wants  me  to  come  back  and  live  widi  Uiem.     I  am  sure  I  want  to  but  I 

-<{  139  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

suppose  I  shall  not  go  till  next  quarter.  Mrs.  Giles  says  she  has  never 
been  attached  to  any  of  her  boarders  so  much  as  to  me,  and  I  suppose 
I  shall  believe  it  on  the  same  grounds  that  Murat  did  when  Napoleon 
told  him  he  was  a  better  general  than  himself.  "  I  believe  it,"  said  he, 
'■  since  it  comes  from  your  majesty."  There  is  no  one  whose  love  and 
esteem  I  should  more  desire  than  Mrs.  Giles's. 

The  boy  who  wrote  this  diary  was  the  son  of  the  Hon.  T.  A.  Plantz, 
who  was  for  many  years  vice  president  of  the  Convention. 

During  die  Civil  War  Homer  was  private  secretary  to  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of  Florida.  In  1868  he 
was  made  Judge  of  this  circuit.  He  died  July  6,  1872,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three. 


-4  140  )ie..- 


I 


CHAPTER   VI 
New  Church  in  the  Middle  West 


T  was  a  newly  settled  country  to  which  Mr.  Giles  and  his  wife  went 
in  1841.  The  facilities  for  traveling  were  few  and  involved  much 
discomfort.  The  so-called  Corduroy  Rail,  upon  whose  rough  roads 
the  stagecoaches  ran  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  southern  portion  of 
the  state,  and  tlie  two  canals  which  connected  Lake  Erie  with  the 
Ohio  River,  were  the  principal  methods  of  travel,  supplemented  by 
horseback  and  private  conveyance  when  the  former  means  were  not 
available. 

The  early  settlers  were  from  New  England,  witli  a  sprinkling  of 
Germans,  Scotch-Irish,  and  Quakers  from  Pennsylvania,  also  some 
who  preferred  to  live  in  a  free  state,  from  Kentucky  and  Virginia. 
There  were  numerous  small  villages  and  towns,  but  not  much  free  inter- 
course between  them.  The  very  qualities  of  sturdy  independence,  the 
strength  of  resolve  necessary  to  meet  new  and  rough  conditions,  the 
incessant  toil  required  to  make  the  wilderness  "  blossom  as  the  rose," 
the  at  first  inadequate  educational  facilities — all  tended  to  foster  an 
extreme  of  personal  independence  and  narrow  but  strong  convictions. 

In  1801  there  came  into  this  sparsely  settled  country  that  gro- 
tesquely picturesque  but  heavenly-minded  character,  John  Chapman, 
more  generally  known  as  "  Johnny  Appleseed."  When  quite  a  young 
man  he  became  interested  in  the  New  Church  doctrines  through  the 
Hon.  John  Young,  one  of  the  earliest  New  Churchmen  in  the  United 
States,  and  a  lawyer  of  note  in  Philadelphia. 

It  was  he  who  supplied  the  young  evangel  with  books.  We  talk 
much  nowadays  of  the  importance  of  the  "  personal  touch "  in  pro- 
moting the  spread  of  our  doctrines,  so  it  is  very  interesting  to  note 
that  ihe  ])iuneer  work  in  Ohio  was  so  strongly  of  that  character. 

Preceding  settlements  in  fertile  regions  this  strange  character  would 
trami)  in  the  wilderness  through  heat  and  cold,  forest  and  swamp, 
barefooted,  with  his  musii  pot  on  his  head  for  a  hat,  an  old  bit 
of  sacking  for  an  overcoat,  and  a  bag  of  apple  seeds  and  a  few  New 
Church  books  on  his  back.    The  seeds  were  sown  in  ftMlile  glades  and 

-4  141  }>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

afterwards  carefully  tended,  bringing  to  the  families  who  settled  in 
these  remote  regions  a  delightful  surprise  in  the  orchards  of  thrifty 
young  trees. 

He  was  a  favorite  even  with  those  who  considered  him  half-witted. 
Upon  entering  a  log  cabin  he  would  throw  his  sack  of  seeds  upon  the 
floor  and  ask  the  inmates  if  they  would  like  some  "news  right  from 
Heaven."  Then  he  would  read  from  some  of  the  New  Church  books 
he  carried  with  him.  In  order  to  distribute  more  widely  the  literature 
he  would  divide  a  book  into  leaflets,  leaving  a  portion  with  each 
family,  and  on  his  next  visit  would  redistribute  the  parts.  In  this 
way  it  happened  that  the  last  on  the  route  would  read  the  book 
backwards. 

So,  planting  the  spiritual  seed  of  New  Church  truth  and  the  material 
seed  of  delicious  fruit,  his  life  was  passed,  and  many  grateful  people 
remember  affectionately  tlie  results  of  both.  He  was  a  favorite  with 
the  Indians,  who  considered  him  a  "  Medicine  Man,"  and  during  tlie 
War  of  1812  he  was  very  useful  to  the  early  settlers  in  warning  them 
of  proposed  raids  of  the  Indian  allies  of  Great  Britain.  For  more 
than  forty  years  he  carried  on  his  unique  work  of  evangelization,  and 
he  died  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  in  1847. 

The  early  recipients  of  New  Church  truths  were  in  the  main  enthu- 
siastic students  of  Swedenborg  and  eager  to  impart  the  "  Heavenly 
Doctrines."  They  were  affectionate,  independent,  honest  and  cour- 
ageous, men  of  fortitude  and  strong  faith.  There  were  but  few  who 
had  received  classical  or  theological  training.  Dropped  into  the  com- 
munities of  which  diey  formed  a  part  they,  like  the  tiny  apple  seeds 
which  John  Chapman  planted  in  the  wilderness,  grew  and  developed. 
I  cannot  learn  that  there  was,  as  in  New  England,  any  decided  ostra- 
cism of  New  Church  people.  It  is  true  that  in  Steubenville  the  objec- 
tion to  "  Swedenborg  children  "  was  so  strong  that  Rev.  David  Powell, 
Sr.,  was  obliged  to  establish  a  school  on  his  own  farm  for  the  educa- 
tion of  his  own  and  neighboring  New  Church  children.  The  school 
itself  proved  so  excellent  that  it  was  not  long  before  prejudice  was 
overcome  and  others  of  differing  faith  were  sent  as  pupils.  The  chief 
opposition  seems  to  have  come  from  the  clergymen  of  existing  denomi- 
nations. In  times  when  men  really  believed  and  ministers  preached 
literal  hell  fire;  that  the  world  was  made  in  six  days  from  nothing!  in 
predestination;  tliat  salvation  was  by  faith  alone  regardless  of  life, — 
doctrines  so  entirely  opposed  to  these  dogmas  were  novel  in  the  ex- 
treme.    They  excited  much  comment;  some  received  them  gladly,  and 

-^  142  ^- 


NEW  CHURCH   IN  THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

to  others,  confirmed  in  the  old  faith,  any  departure  therefrom  was 
fraught  with  danger,  and  opposed. 

Small  events  show  the  general  trend  of  thought  in  a  community. 
What  would  be  thought  of  a  clergyman  who  would  in  these  days  at 
a  funeral  say  to  the  bereaved  family,  "  At  this  moment,  while  the 
present  company  is  observing  the  funeral  obsequies,  your  son  is  un- 
doubtedly burning  in  hell  fire."  The  deceased  was  a  young  man  of 
blameless  conduct  who  had  never  joined  the  church.  This  really  hap- 
pened, and  excited  much  indignant  comment  even  then;  but  who  would 
dare  at  the  present  day  to  voice  so  heartless  a  sentiment,  especially 
as  the  idea  is  now  so  often  expressed,  "  that  it  makes  but  little  differ- 
ence what  one  believes  provided  he  lives  aright." 

In  1837  seven  New  Church  people  living  in  Detroit  made  application 
to  Rev.  Holland  Weeks  for  organization,  with  Mr.  Edwin  Bumham  as 
leader  and  secretary.  The  society  was  extremely  short-lived,  as  by 
May,  1847,  every  one  of  its  members  moved  away  from  the  town. 

A  new  society  was  formed  later  with  Rev.  G.  M.  Field  as  pastor. 

Mr.  Field  was  an  Englishman  who  had  been  a  lay  reader  in  Man- 
chester, England.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1836.  He  went  West 
and  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Detroit  in  1844.  From  that  time 
until  1866  he  served  the  Detroit  society  as  pastor  at  different  intervals. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  strong  attachment  between  Mr.  Field 
and  his  people,  but  they  did  not  agree  upon  the  subject  of  rebaptism. 
Mr.  Field  held  firmly  to  the  position  that  baptism  in  the  former  Chris- 
tian church  did  not  prepare  for  membership  in  the  New.  His  con- 
gregation held  more  liberal  views.  From  time  to  time  the  differences 
would  seem  to  be  adjusted  only  to  break  out  afresh.  The  final  breach 
came  in  1866  when  Mr.  Field  left  diem  not  to  return. 

Without  following  him  to  all  the  societies  to  which  he  ministered, 
I  will  simply  tell  of  the  excellent  missionary  work  which  he  did  on 
his  own  behalf  or  while  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Association  in 
1852. 

His  lectures  in  various  places  were  given  either  in  the  town  Court 
House  or  in  the  Mediodist  Church.  This  sect  seemed  to  be  the  pre- 
dominant one  in  the  Western  country;  but  as  odier  denominations  con- 
tributed to  the  expense  of  building,  the  Methodists  allowed  the  use 
of  their  churches  for  various  purposes.  When,  as  sometimes  hap- 
pened after  one  New  Church  lecture  was  given,  there  was  opposition 
to  a  continued  use  of  the  building,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  find 
another  suitable  place  and  the  course  of  lectures  was  continued. 

-^  143  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

That  tlie  interest  was  keen  was  evident  from  the  fact  that  many  of 
the  discourses  were  delivered  during  the  week,  and  admission  charged 
and  paid. 

Wlien  working  independently  Mr.  Field  paid  his  way  by  occasional 
lectures  on  scientific  subjects,  sometimes  teaching  penmanship  and 
stenography.     In  the  summertime  he  taught  school. 

The  hardships  of  travel  were  very  great.  There  were  a  few  short 
lines  of  railroad  but  they  had  not  yet  gained  public  confidence.  On 
one  occasion,  wishing  to  travel  from  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  Jackson- 
ville, a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  although  there  was  a  railroad  Mr. 
Field  preferred  to  go  by  stagecoach,  regarding  it  as  both  safer  and 
quicker. 

At  another  time  when  on  his  way  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  wishing  to  call 
upon  Rev.  Elisha  Hibbard  who  lived  on  a  farm  in  Lucas  County,  he 
lost  his  way  in  the  woods  and  was  obliged  to  spend  the  night  in  a  log 
cabin.  There  was  only  one  room.  In  it  were  three  beds  and  some 
trundle  beds.  More  than  twelve  adults  and  some  children  lodged 
there  that  night.  In  such  a  new  country  hotels  were  few  and  far 
between,  and  the  settlers  extended,  as  a  matter  of  course,  hospitality 
to  tlie  wayfarer. 

In  October,  1852,  Mr.  Field  was  employed  for  seven  months  by  the 
Illinois  Association  to  act  as  its  missionary.  His  report  so  well  illus- 
trates the  difficulties  and  hardships  of  travel  that  I  will  quote  from  it 
verbatim. 

Widiin  the  past  eight  months  I  have  visited  and  lectured  at  seven- 
teen different  places,  giving  in  all  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  dis- 
courses. For  fully  three  quarters  of  the  above  time  traveling  was 
toilsome,  difficult,  and  perilous.  The  roads  were  like  a  ploughed 
field,  soaked  with  water,  only  full  of  holes  and  ridges,  or  as  on  the 
prairie  sod,  sometimes  flooded  and  saturated,  or  like  a  shallow  lake. 
Twice  I  had  to  get  other  horses  to  haul  my  buggy  from  bottomless 
mudholes;  once  I  was  nearly  drowned  in  fording  the  deep  and  rapid 
Vermilion,  swollen  by  heavy  rains;  once  I  had  to  pass  through  a  wide 
lagoon  of  water  five  feet  deep  and  cross  a  bridge  underneath  it.  Some- 
times I  was  drenched  with  rain  and  no  help  for  it,  at  other  times 
almost  frozen,  with  a  bitter  northwest  wind  blowing  like  a  hurricane 
over  a  prairie  where  for  miles  neither  house,  fence,  nor  tree  could  be 
seen.     I  crossed  half-frozen  rivers  between  great  holes  in  the  ice.     I 

-^  144  ^- 


NEW   CHURCH   IN   THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

drove  after  dark  on  the  open  prairie,  guessing  at  the  road,  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  sometimes  losing  my  way,  or  passing  the  night  in  rude 
houses,  only  next  to  being  in  the  open  air. 

He  concludes  by  saying:  "I  have  experienced  the  mercy  and  protec- 
tion of  the  Lord  in  all  my  sojournings  and  with  but  slight  exception 
have  had  good  health  and  good  courage  to  pursue  my  way."  He  also 
adds:  '"  I  shall  now  be  glad  to  take  a  little  rest." 

Many  incidents  of  his  missionary'  tours  are  indicative  of  the  reli- 
gious sentiment  of  the  day.  A  series  of  lectures  which  he  gave  on  the 
"  Creation  of  the  Universe  and  the  Deluge  in  the  Light  of  Religion 
and  Science,"  not  only  excited  much  comment  but  great  opposition 
from  resident  clergy.  When  he  stated  that  "  something  could  not  be 
made  from  notliing"  he  was  violently  opposed  by  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman.  A  meeting  was  appointed  to  discuss  the  question.  The 
minister  who  attacked  him  did  not  appear,  but  the  subject  was  debated 
for  six  evenings,  ending  widi  the  weiglit  of  argument  in  favor  of  Mr. 
Field. 

In  another  place  discussion  in  a  Methodist  Church  lasted  for  two 
days,  beginning  at  nine  in  the  morning.  There  were  in  this  small 
place,  Goshen,  Ohio,  from  three  to  five  hundred  persons  present.  The 
Presbyterian  minister  endeavored  to  prove  that  Swedenborg  was  a 
blasphemer,  insane  and  a  knave.  He  also  attempted  to  controvert 
Mr.  Field's  position  relative  to  the  Creation  and  his  teaching  with 
regard  to  Christ.  Obtaining  the  use  of  the  church  for  the  following 
Sunday  to  lecture  '"  On  the  Claims  and  Credibility  of  Swedenborg," 
Mr.  Field  spoke  for  three  hours,  maintaining  the  interest  of  his  audi- 
ence to  the  end. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  belief  in  one  leading  personal  devil 
was  strong  in  that  day.  When  Mr.  David  Powell  lectured  in  Bridge- 
port on  the  "  Fall  of  Man  "  he  advanced  the  New  Church  view  that  man 
fell,  not  from  the  wiles  of  one  personal  devil,  but  by  yielding  to  his 
own  evil  tendencies  of  self-love  and  love  of  the  world,  —  tendencies 
which  were  excited  by  influx  from  evil  spirits  who  were  when  on 
earth  bad  men  and  women. 

After  the  lecture,  when  Mr.  Powell  was  quietly  resting  by  the  fire- 
side at  the  inn,  he  was  visited  by  a  deputation  of  ministers  who  asked 
him  how  it  was  possible  for  man  to  fall  without  a  personal  devil  to 
tempt  him.  Mr.  Powell  in  his  gentle  way  replied,  "  You  believe 
Lucifer  was  once  an  angel  of  light,  do  you  not?  "    They  replied  in  the 

— «i{  145  }?•- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

affirmative.  "Then  how  could  he  fall,  with  no  one  to  tempt  him?" 
They  were  utterly  unable  to  reply,  and  first  one,  then  another,  left  the 
inn.  As  the  innkeeper  remarked,  "  I  never  saw  men  pile  up  their  com 
so  quickly." 

The  early  New  Churchmen  of  the  West  were  active,  intelligent  men, 
diligent  readers  of  Swedenborg,  and  inspired  with  an  ardent  zeal  to 
communicate  the  truths  which  they  loved  to  others. 

Through  their  very  effective  missionary  efforts  many  small  societies 
were  formed,  very  few  of  them  —  indeed  none,  at  the  period  of  which 
I  write  —  capable  of  supporting  entirely  the  minister  who  preached  for 
them,  except  the  Cincinnati  Society.  Tlie  missionary  ministers  were 
numerous,  however,  asking  but  little  remuneration  for  their  services, 
glad  to  work  for  the  cause,  and  willing  to  obtain  a  living  support  by 
such  opportunities  for  secular  labor  as  offered  themselves.  Rev. 
David  Powell,  Jr.,  who  at  the  age  of  twelve  had  resolved  that  his 
manliood  should  be  devoted  to  the  New  Churcli  ministry,  began  with  the 
idea  that  the  services  of  his  calling  should  be  like  those  of  his  father, 
gratuitous.  His  first  thought  was  that  he  would  earn  enough  to  support 
himself  and  family,  so  that  he  could  be  free  to  preach  without  pay. 

He  tried  various  pursuits;  followed  his  father's  trade  of  tanner  for 
a  while;  again  he  was  partner  in  a  general  store,  and  for  several 
years  taught  school.  The  walks  to  school  were  times  of  meditation, 
and  often  his  thoughts  dwelt  on  his  ardent  desire  to  become  a  minister 
and  the  discouraging  outlook  for  its  gratification.  One  day  while 
thus  pondering  the  words,  "I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old;  yet 
have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread," 
came  with  clear  light  to  bis  mind;  also,  "  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  His  righteousness;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
imto  you."  These  words  entirely  changed  his  point  of  view.  He  no 
longer  felt  that  his  preaching  must  be  gratuitous  with  a  self-supporting 
secular  occupation  to  sustain  him.  He  was  now  resolved  to  apply  to 
the  Western  New  Church  Convention  for  a  position  as  preacher.  This 
he  did  in  tlie  autumn  of  1833,  after  a  visit  to  his  relatives  in  Steuben- 
ville.  Here  he  opened  a  select  school  which  was  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful in  the  city.  He  taught  during  the  week  and  preached  alternate 
Sundays  in  Steubenville,  and  did  missionary  work  in  the  country  on 
other  Sundays. 

For  four  years  he  lived  in  Danby,  New  York,  returning  to  Steuben- 
ville in  1844.  He  was  then  engaged  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  Cin- 
cinnati for  several  years.     So  hard  did  he  work  that  many  times  he 

-"•€•{  146  ^'~ 


NEW   CHURCH    IN   THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

would  preach  every  evening  except  Saturday,  and  twice  on  Sunday, 
with  much  travel  to  meet  engagements. 

The  year  1848  finds  him  engaged  by  the  Pittsburg  Society.  He  left 
Pittsburg  in  1850  and  went  to  Twenty  Mile  Stand,  near  Cincinnati,  to 
live. 

Here  he  again  acted  as  missionary,  was  also  much  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  Urbana  University,  then  in  its  infancy,  and  assisted  in  edit- 
ing the  New  Jerusalem  Messenger. 

His  last  pastorate  was  in  Upper  Darby,  Pennsylvania.  In  1853  he 
suffered  much  from  a  painful  ulcer  in  his  right  hand.  By  the  advice 
of  physicians  the  hand  was  cut  off.  This  checked  the  disease  for  a 
time,  but  later  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  second  amputation.  Finally 
the  disease  broke  out  again  imder  his  arm  and  in  July  of  1854  an 
artery  was  ruptured  and  death  ensued. 

This  very  bald  account  of  the  mere  events  of  this  man's  life  gives 
no  idea  of  the  sweet  loving  spirit  which  animated  it. 

Perhaps  extracts  from  an  encouraging  letter  written  to  my  father  in 
1852  will  give  some  notion  of  the  rare  character  of  the  man.  Mr. 
Giles,  with  some  doubt  as  to  his  own  abilities  as  a  preacher,  and  feel- 
ing also  his  lack  of  theological  training,  had  written  to  Mr.  Powell 
for  advice  as  to  the  method  of  writing  a  sermon.  Nothing  could  be 
more  divergent  from  the  actual  plan  followed  by  Mr.  Giles  than  the 
advice  given  on  the  preparation  of  sermons,  but  the  letter  is  one  of 
kindly  encouragement  and  must  have  cheered  the  heart  of  its  recipient. 

To  C.  Giles  from  Rev.  D.  Powell 

Twenty  Mile  Stand,  Warren  Co.,  Ohio. 
July  5,  1852. 

Whether  any  particular  trutli  should  be  called  forth  or  not  in  our 
correspondence  may  not  be  very  material,  as  tliere  is  another  good 
within  our  reach  in  these  brotherly  communications.  That  good  is 
mutual  and  reciprocal  spiritual  affection.  And  good,  you  know,  is  the 
ground  for  truth.  Cultivate  love  and  truths  will  be  received.  I  truly 
and  reciprocally  rejoice  with  you  that  the  "  little  band  of  New  Church 
ministers  in  tliis  state  are  united  in  the  bonds  of  love,"  and  devoutly 
do  I  pray  that  such  union  may  continue,  grow  stronger,  and  be  in- 
creased in  numbers.  And  sincerely  do  I  hope  that  I  may  do  my  part 
in  keeping  alive  our  bond  of  Union. 

-^i  147  }•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  can  appreciate  your  dilTiculties  in  sermonizing  in  your  present 
condition,  and  gladly  would  I  aid  you  were  it  in  my  power.  When 
I  commenced  preaching  I  too  was  teaching  school  and  had  to  write 
my  sermons  as  you  do  now.  Sometimes  I  had  to  sit  up  preparing  for 
Sunday  until  after  midnight.  Look  to  tlie  Lord,  dear  brother,  and 
He  will  sustain  you. 

Permit  me  to  drop  a  hint  in  preparing  sermons.  Take  for  a  text 
a  passage  Swedenborg  has  fully  explained.  Put  that  explanation  in 
your  own  language  in  tlie  form  of  a  sermon.  If  you  even  give  long 
extracts  it  will  do  no  harm.     This  may  facilitate  your  preparations. 

Practical  sermons  are  certainly  useful,  and  can  never  be  properly 
objected  to. 

Although  I  have  preached  a  number  of  doctrinal  sermons  at  Shef- 
field and  otlier  places  in  that  region,  still  tliat  need  not  keep  you  from 
preaching  doctrinal  sermons  there  too.  For  persons  that  never  heard 
me  will  hear  you  and  will  require  the  doctrines  explained  to  them. 
And  besides,  your  method  of  explaining  doctrines  will  not  be  mine, 
and  hence  instruction  to  those  who  may  have  heard  me  on  the  same 
subject  will  not  be  amiss. 

I  have  frequently  been  invited  to  preach  on  the  same  subject  the 
second  time  in  the  same  place.  So  you  may  preach  there  as  though 
I  never  had. 

I  sincerely  hope  all  our  brethren  and  friends  will  have  a  right 
understanding  of  the  matter  and  do  all  they  can  to  sustain  you,  —  not 
with  money  only,  but  with  their  presence  at  worship  and  the  sphere 
of  New  Church  affection. 

An  account  of  a  visit  to  Grandpa  Espy  gives  also  an  idea  of  the 
affectionate  relations  of  New  Churchmen  of  the  time. 

It  tells  how  dear  old  Mrs.  Espy  kissed  Mr.  Giles  when  he  left,  of 
their  encouraging  remarks  about  his  sermons,  how  Mr.  Espy  took  him 
to  the  cars  and  told  him  how  much  he  liked  him,  and  how  he  had  en- 
joyed his  visit.  "  He  wanted  to  know  why  I  did  not  have  a  watch. 
I  told  him  I  was  expecting  to  get  one  soon.  He  said  he  had  one  that 
he  should  like  to  have  me  accept  if  I  would,  and  though  it  is  not  such 
a  watch  as  I  want,  I  could  not  but  take  it.  I  shall  keep  it  as  a  me- 
mento of  real  affection  which  rarely  exists  in  this  world." 

-4  148  ^- 


NEW  CHURCH   IN  THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Twenty  Mile  Stand,  Dec.  27,  1852. 

I  have  had  a  very  pleasant  chat  with  Mr.  Espy  and  others.  After 
dinner  they  wanted  me  to  read  to  them  a  sermon.  We  all  gathered 
around  the  stove  and  I  read  diem  the  one  on  the  clause  of  the  "  Lord's 
Prayer."  They  seemed  much  interested  in  it,  and  when  I  got  through 
Mr.  Espy  said  that  was  what  he  called  New  Church  preaching.  They 
all  seemed  much  delighted  with  it.     It  is  so  dark  I  must  stop. 

I  read  my  sermon  on  "  Leaves  "  to  them  last  night.  Mr.  Espy  says 
he  diinks  it  is  about  the  best  sermon  he  ever  heard.  They  were  all 
very  much  delighted  with  it.  He  thinks  it  is  a  pity  I  did  not  commence 
preaching  sooner.  They  are  trying  to  get  up  a  little  meeting  to-night 
and  I  suppose  I  shall  speak.  Mr.  Powell  returned  this  morning.  His 
hand  has  become  so  bad  that  he  is  obliged  to  discontinue  preaching 
for  some  time.  He  wants  to  send  Cora  to  school  to  me  next  summer 
if  he  can.  She  had  the  neuralgia  last  night  in  her  face.  She  has 
suffered  very  much  from  it  this  winter.  I  prescribed  aconite  and  she 
was  relieved  before  bedtime. 

Grandpa  thinks  we  acted  very  wisely  in  not  removing  to  Urbana, 
and  I  tliink  so  too.  //  /  live  ten  years  longer  I  shall  be  knoivn  more 
widely  than  I  am  now,  I  think,  though  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  ambi- 
tious. Wliile  seated  in  the  church  and  looking  around  upon  the  multi- 
tude of  well-dressed  people,  I  thought  how  I  should  like  to  fill  such 
a  position  as  Mr.  Stuart  does,  but  I  cannot  say  that  I  should  be  very 
eager  to  exchange  positions  with  him.  I  do  not  think  he  has  better 
society  than  we  have.  His  income  is  no  greater,  and  I  doubt  whether 
he  exerts  a  much  greater  influence.  There  are  some  things  in  his 
situation  which  I  should  enjoy  very  much,  —  his  chance  to  read  and 
write.  On  the  whole,  I  think  we  have  every  reason  to  be  contented 
even  if  our  water  is  black  and  hard  to  get.  By  the  way,  Anna  says 
a  little  flour  sprinkled  in  coal  water  will  settle  it.    Try  it. 

In  the  effort  to  establish  an  external  New  Church  organization,  there 
was  much  work  to  be  done  by  the  early  New  Churchmen.  In  this  they 
had  but  little  help  from  Swedenborg,  who  contented  himself  with  pub- 

-4^  149  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

lishing  the  truths  which  should  form  a  basis  for  the  Church  of  the 
future  without  going  into  details  of  ecclesiastical  arrangements  and 
government.  Tlie  first  meetings  were  more  in  the  nature  of  friendly 
conference  and  the  services  were  very  simple.  The  necessity  for  an 
orderly  ritual  of  worship  became  evident  at  a  very  early  date. 

In  the  18l0's,  the  time  of  which  I  write,  the  General  Convention  had 
met  annually  with  but  few  exceptions  since  1817.  It  was  formed  by 
various  societies  of  the  New  Church  which  had  united  for  the  regula- 
tion of  affairs  relative  to  the  better  ordering  of  the  Church  at  large. 
One  of  the  first  subjects  to  engage  this  body's  attention,  and  one  which 
was  a  fruitful  topic  of  discussion  for  many  years,  was  the  better 
ordering  of  the  ministry.  At  the  second  Convention,  which  met  in 
Baltimore,  and  at  every  Convention  thereafter  for  many  years,  this 
subject  was  discussed  and  committees  were  formed  to  make  regulations 
concerning  it.  The  reader  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  early  converts 
to  New  Church  theology  were  drawn  from  many  different  sects  of  the 
Old  Christian  Church.  Naturally  they  brought  with  them  traditions 
of  the  forms  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed.  The  predominating 
feeling  was  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  a  unity  of  plan,  though 
ideas  for  its  practical  development  were  widely  divergent.  A  very 
small  minority  thought  ordination  entirely  unnecessary;  the  extremely 
opposite  view  was  represented  by  those  who  wished  to  have  the  clergy 
endowed  with  much  power,  and  advocated  a  system  which  should 
include  a  general  Bishop,  lesser  Bishops,  etc.  Whether  there  should 
be  separate  ordinations  for  each  degree,  whether  a  candidate  in  the 
case  of  three  degrees  could  be  ordained  into  all  three  at  the  same  time, 
—  these  and  similar  questions  which  developed  under  debate  were  fruit- 
ful themes  of  discussion  and  difficult  of  settlement. 

An  important  resolution  was  passed  in  1826  by  which  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  ordination  of  ministers  was  transferred  to  Convention. 
Hitherto  this  had  rested  with  the  ministers  of  the  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, and  Baltimore  societies. 

The  subject  was  by  no  means  definitely  settled  by  this  decision,  for 
details  concerning  it  were  debated  at  every  Convention  meeting  there- 
after. When  in  1838  the  "  Rules  of  Order,"  which  embodied  an  elab- 
orate system  of  ecclesiastical  government  in  the  Episcopal  form,  were 
adopted,  and  it  was  further  declared  that  those  organizations  which 
did  not  give  their  consent  to  this  measure  should  not  be  included  in 
Convention,  the  societies  of  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  New  York,  and 
Maryland  withdrew,  and  formed  themselves  into  the  Central  Conven- 

-^  150  ^'- 


NEW  CHURCH  IN  THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

tion.  There  were  now  three  Conventions:  the  Western  Convention, 
formed  by  Rev.  Thomas  Newport  in  1818,  this  new  Central  Conven- 
tion, and  the  original  General  Convention  known  to  the  other  two, 
though  it  did  not  accept  the  title,  as  the  Eastern  Convention.  Both 
the  Western  and  the  Central  Conventions  were  short-lived.  The 
former  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Ohio  Association  and  as  such 
joined  the  General  Convention  in  1847.  The  Central  Convention, 
formed  in  protest  against  the  "  Rules  of  Order,"  lacked  excuse  for 
continuance  when  they  were  annulled,  and  interest  in  it  gradually 
lessened  until  it  ceased  to  exist. 

Other  matters  engaging  the  attention  of  the  good  Fathers  in  the 
Church  were  the  establishment  of  a  suitable  liturgy,  the  subject  of 
church  music,  provisions  for  Sunday  schools  and  die  education  of 
children,  the  furtherance  of  missionary  work,  and  the  nucleus  for  a 
Theological  School. 

In  all  these  subjects  the  strong,  earnest  men  of  Ohio  were  much  in- 
terested, were  decided  in  their  opinions,  and  by  no  means  unanimous. 

The  history  of  the  Cincinnati  society  presents  in  miniature  some  of 
the  conditions  of  Convention.  Certainly  many  of  the  early  New 
Churchmen  were  somewhat  disputatious,  —  a  condition  of  mind  which 
was  perhaps  a  natural  outgrowth  from  the  necessary  arguments  with 
self  which  individuals  experience  in  leaving  the  Old  Christian  Church 
and  entering  the  New. 

The  founder  of  the  Cincirmati  society  was  Rev.  Adam  Hurdus,  a 
native  of  Manchester,  England.  Its  members,  twenty-two  in  number, 
met  at  the  house  of  their  pastor  in  1808.  An  attractive  feature  of  the 
services  was  music  from  an  organ  built  by  Mr.  Hurdus  himself.  It 
is  said  that  there  were  some  Indians  in  attendance  at  these  early  meet- 
ings. When  the  first  chapel  was  built  "  Mr.  Hurdus  was  so  respected 
by  the  community  that  many  prominent  citizens  outside  of  the  society 
came  forward  to  contribute.  In  July,  1816,  he  was  ordained  by  Mr. 
Hargrove,  and  afterwards  became  himself  an  ordaining  minister." 
The  Society  was  incorporated  in  July,  1818.  "  From  all  accounts 
this  first  minister  was  a  most  lovely  and  attractive  character.  ...  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  friend  to  every  one,"  and  never  became  em- 
broiled in  any  of  the  disputes  of  the  time.  He  lived  to  be  over  eighty- 
three.  One  of  the  first  measures  taken  by  the  society  was  the  adoption 
of  Rules  of  Government.  As  in  other  places,  the  subject  of  rebaptism 
was  a  fruitful  source  of  debate,  and  minute  rules  for  baptism  and  die 
Holy  Supper  were  adopted,  only  to  be  repealed  two  years  later. 

-4  151  }3^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

No  one  can  read  the  brief  "  Outline  of  the  History  of  the  Cincinnati 
Society "  without  being  impressed  with  tlie  numerous  constitutions 
adopted,  rejected,  and  improved  by  these  people.  From  the  first  one, 
in  1828,  there  were  in  the  next  twenty  years  no  less  than  six  constitu- 
tions formed.  One  of  these  was  made  by  the  Third  Society,  —  a  short- 
lived organization  begun  in  protest  against  the  chaotic  conditions  of 
church  government  and  the  lack  of  definite  rules.  Certainly  its  foun- 
ders indicated  the  extremely  opposite  swing  of  the  pendulum,  as  their 
constitution,  consisting  of  minute  rules,  filled  seventeen  pages  of  the 
Record  Book. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  New  Church  everywhere,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  its  members  were  more  diligent  students  of  Swedenborg  than  at 
this  time.  In  1827  twelve  of  these  earnest  men  formed  themselves 
into  the  Tlieosophical  Society  and  met  weekly.  They  discussed  a  wide 
range  of  subjects,  but  always  from  a  New  Church  standpoint.  The 
membership  was  for  many  years  confined  to  the  laity  and  limited  to 
twelve  members.     This  society  was  very  influential. 

In  1829  the  Cincinnati  Society  had  three  ministers,  all  serving 
gratuitously.  There  were  three  services  every  Sunday,  Rev.  Adam 
Hurdus,  Mr.  Lovell,  and  Mr.  Roe  officiating,  each  at  a  different 
service. 

From  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  society  in  1818  until  Mr. 
Giles  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1853  there  were,  including  Mr.  Hurdus, 
who  continued  amidst  all  the  changes  to  minister  to  the  First,  the  Sec- 
ond, and  occasionally  the  Third  Society  for  twenty-five  years,  nine 
different  ministers.  This  does  not  include  the  services  of  the  beloved 
teacher,  Mr.  Alexander  Kimnont,  who  formed  the  Second  Society  of 
the  New  Jerusalem  in  1835.  "  Mr.  Kinmont  had  been  what  was  then 
called  a  minister;  later  the  term  licentiate  was  used,  and  now  we  say 
'  authorized  candidate.' "  Mr.  Kinmont  had  been  teaching  New 
Church  truth  for  some  time,  and  as  many  enjoyed  his  teaching  they 
wished  him  to  continue,  but  were  not  animated  by  any  spirit  of  oppo- 
sition to  the  First  Society.  As  the  circular  quaintly  expresses  it,  it 
was  desired  "  to  have  only  a  few  to  begin  in  obscurity  and  take  the 
lowest  place."  In  1838  the  General  Convention  was  asked  to  place 
Mr.  Kinmont's  name  on  the  list  of  ministers,  and  that  Mr.  Hurdus  be 
authorized  to  ordain  him.  The  request  was  denied,  however,  for  tech- 
nical reasons,  which  resulted  in  "  considerable  feeling  and  decided 
action,  but  the  deadi  of  Mr.  Kinmont  a  few  months  later  brought  an 
end  to  the  contention."     After  this  Mr.  Hurdus  took  charge  of  the 

-4  152  ^'- 


NEW  CHURCH   IN   THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

society,  and  upon  his  death  "  nearly  all  the  members  became  members 
of  the  First  Society,  a  loving  tribute  to  Mr.  Hurdus  closing  the  records 
of  the  First  Society." 

The  Third  New  Church  Society  already  mentioned  brought  during 
its  seven  years  of  existence  two  more  preachers  to  Cincinnati,  — •  a 
Mr.  C.  F.  Kellogg,  who  acted  as  leader  for  a  few  months,  and  Mr. 
N.  C.  Burnham,  who  ministered  for  three  years,  being  ordained  a  few 
months  after  he  entered  upon  his  duties. 

Merely  to  name  the  clergymen  officiating  in  Cincinnati  to  one 
who  knows  anything  of  their  character  will  show  tliat  most  of  them 
had  much  influence  in  diff'ering  tendencies  of  the  Church.  Of  Mr. 
Hurdus  we  have  already  spoken  in  detail;  Mr.  A.  Lee  came  into 
the  New  Church  from  the  Quakers,  and  after  a  short  time  returned 
to  them. 

Of  Mr.  Carll  we  hear  much  in  the  early  history  of  the  Church  in 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore.  He  was  very  active  in  missionary  work, 
and  sowed  the  seeds  of  New  Church  doctrine  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 
and  Ohio,  during  a  trip  made  in  1817.  He  traveled  from  Philadel- 
phia by  stagecoach  and  steamboat,  distributing  tracts  on  the  former 
and  conversing  on  the  topic  nearest  his  heart  with  his  fellow  travelers 
on  the  latter.  He  stopped  at  various  places,  preaching  either  at  pri- 
vate houses  or  in  Court  Houses.  He  sums  up  his  trip  thus:  "After 
an  absence  of  thirty-nine  days  I  have  traveled  eight  hundred  miles, 
baptized  thirty-seven  souls,  administered  the  sacrament  twice,  pro- 
claimed the  Heavenly  Doctrines  of  the  New  Jerusalem  twenty  times 
to  not  fewer  than  two  or  three  thousand  persons,  many  of  whom  had 
never  heard  of  them  before." 

How  joyfully  he  was  received  at  the  home  of  David  Powell,  Sr.,  at 
Steubenville,  Ohio!  Here  he  preached  five  times,  administered  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Supper  in  the  Court  House,  and  explained  the 
New  Church  doctrine  concerning  it. 

Of  Mr.  De  Charms,  who  was  also  a  pastor  in  Philadelphia  and  New 
York,  I  shall  speak  more  fully  in  connection  with  those  societies. 

Mr.  Prescott's  name  is  invariably  mentioned  with  respect  as  one 
of  the  best  and  most  influential  of  the  early  ministers,  and  it  is  always 
added  that  he  was  afterwards  known  as  Mr.  Prescott-Hiller. 

Of  him  we  leam  more  from  a  short  article  called  "  One  Saint  Less," 
which  was  written  by  die  Rev.  Moses  Coit  Tyler,  a  Congregational 
minister;  it  was  published  in  the  Independent  and  copied  into  the 
New-Church  Messenger.     Mr.  Tyler  writes: 

-4  153  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  came  to  know  him  well;  and  the  impression  grew  upon  me  that  he 
was  the  most  unique  man,  as  well  as  one  of  the  purest,  loftiest,  and 
most  gifted  tliat  I  ever  encountered. 

He  had  tlie  appearance  of  an  ample  physical  life,  yet  he  was  so 
lifted  above  animalism  that  all  intellectual  life  seemed  absolutely 
easy  to  him.  Mr.  Hiller  was  the  most  regular  brain  worker  that  can 
be  imagined.  With  the  utmost  simplicity,  with  a  candor  so  childlike 
that  it  kept  in  abeyance  my  sense  of  the  ludicrousness  of  his  communi- 
cation, he  explained  to  me  his  habits  of  work.  Each  day  of  the  week 
was  consecrated  to  its  peculiar  occupation,  from  which  arrangement 
he  not  only  never  deviated,  but  was  never  tempted  to  deviate.  It  was 
something  like  this:  "Sunday,"  he  said,  "of  course  is  my  preaching 
day.  I  have  no  exercises  on  that  day  except  those  which  favor  my 
spiritual  and  physical  efficiency  for  preaching.  Then  Monday  is 
poetry  day.  I  always  sit  down  Monday  morning  and  write  and  polish 
just  ten  lines  of  an  epic  poem  on  which  I  am  engaged.  I  always  write 
poetry  on  Monday  and  I  never  do  it  on  any  other  day.  Then  in  the 
afternoon  I  read  in  the  British  Museum.  Tuesday  is  my  letter  day. 
I  do  all  my  correspondence  that  day.  Wednesday  is  my  Hebrew  day. 
I  read  so  many  verses  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  and  write  commentaries 
upon  them.  Thursday  is  my  Greek  Testament  day.  Friday  and  Sat- 
urday are  sermon  days."  It  cost  him  no  effort  to  conform  to  this 
routine,  which  would  be  so  intolerable  to  most  of  us.  Indeed  to  him 
it  was  not  routine.  His  soul  had  touched  tlie  principle  of  order,  and 
he  freely  and  pleasurably  revolved  in  this  never-varying  orbit  of 
duty.  .  .  .  Knowing  but  little  and  accepting  still  less  of  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  his  church,  I  shall  always  be  grateful  for  the  spiritual 
benefit  of  having  known  this  poet,  scholar,  and  saint.  I  cannot  im- 
agine death  to  have  wrought  much  change  in  him,  either  as  to  labor 
or  communion.  In  going  to  Heaven  he  had  not  far  to  go;  and  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  has  already  begun  there  a  new  epic  poem,  or  may 
even  be  trying  to  finish  the  old  one,  and  that  he  will  arrange  his  studies 
as  systematically  and  pursue  them  as  diligently  as  he  did  upon  earth. 
It  is  needless  to  say:  Peace  with  him!  It  were  better  to  say:  May 
some  of  his  peace  be  with  us! 

-4  154  }>'- 


NEW  CHURCH   IN  THE   MIDDLE   WEST 

During  a  leave  of  absence  granted  to  Mr.  Prescott  to  visit  England, 
the  Rev.  Sabin  Hough  officiated.  Mr.  Prescott  did  not  return  to  this 
country  but  remained  in  the  British  Isles  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Barrett  came  from  New  York  to  Cincinnati,  but  finding  the 
climate  did  not  agree  with  him  he  left  Cincinnati  because  of  failing 
health,  and  for  a  time,  until  his  health  was  restored,  engaged  in  the 
roofing  business. 

Mr.  Stuart,  a  tall  man  with  dark  eyes  and  a  somewhat  dry,  reserved 
manner,  did  much  work  as  a  missionary  in  Ohio  after  he  left  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  His  visits  to  Hamilton  were  highly  prized  by 
Mr.  Giles  in  the  days  of  his  first  reading  of  Swedenborg.  Mr.  Stuart 
left  Cincinnati  to  become  a  teacher  at  Urbana  University. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Giles  went  to  Cincinnati  another  temple,  completed 
in  1834,  replaced  the  first  chapel;  there  was  a  small  parsonage  on 
Seventh  Street,  a  good  library  of  New  Church  books,  and  a  flourishing 
Sunday  school.  An  amusing  objection  was  made  to  the  formation  of 
a  Sunday  school  when  the  project  was  in  its  infancy,  "that  it  would 
interfere  with  the  spiritual  freedom  of  the  children." 

Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams,  who  for  so  many  years  afterwards  was  iden- 
tified with  Urbana,  opened  in  1840  a  secular  school  exclusively  for 
the  children  of  New  Church  parents.  This  was  discontinued  after  a 
few  years. 

There  are  many  other  New  Churchmen  of  that  period  of  whom  it 
would  be  pleasant  to  speak.  They  were  men  of  sterling  character,  de- 
cided in  their  opinions,  and  with  an  absorbing  love  for  tlie  freedom  of 
the  individual. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Giles's  entrance  upon  his  ministry  in  Cincinnati 
the  Society  did  not  belong  to  the  General  Convention.  It  had  with- 
drawn from  the  Ohio  Association  because  that  body  was  represented 
in  Convention,  and  the  Cincinnati  Society  did  not  approve  of  the  Con- 
vention Rules  of  Order. 


-4  155  )§."• 


N< 


CHAPTER   VII 
Cincinnati  Pastorati:,  1852-1862 


ow  at  the  age  of  forty  years  Mr.  Giles  was  to  enter  upon  his 
life  work.  He  preceded  his  family  to  the  city,  returning  to  Pomeroy 
for  them  afterwards,  and  on  October  23,  1853,  preached  his  first 
sermon  for  the  Cincinnati  Society.  Rev.  J.  P.  Stuart  introduced  him. 
The  subject  of  his  sermon  was,  "The  Duties  and  Necessary  Qualifi- 
cations of  a  Minister." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  Cincinnati  they  went  to  Mr.  Hin- 
man's  and  stayed  until  the  parsonage  on  Seventh  Street  was  ready 
for  them. 

After  they  were  settled  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  feel  now  that  I  am  just  beginning  a  great  new  work.  To  perform 
it  aright  I  should  have  entered  upon  it  years  ago.  But  I  will  do  the 
best  I  can. 

After  lecturing  to  a  very  small  audience  on  a  stormy  evening  he 

says: 

I  was  quite  disheartened.  I  expect  this  is  a  trial  I  shall  have  to  meet 
and  it  will  be  one  which  I  can  see  will  discourage  me:  to  have  my 
preaching  treated  with  indifference.  I  am  aware  it  is  a  sign  of  my  own 
imperfection  and  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  so  to  bear  it  that  it  may  do 
me  good. 

After  attending  the  funeral  of  a  little  child  he  says: 

Oh,  how  cheering  are  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  on  such 
occasions!  I  was  much  affected  myself,  could  hardly  control  my 
voice.  This  is  something  I  must  correct.  The  sight  of  a  sad  face  in 
church  almost  makes  me  weep,  or  at  least  so  excites  me  that  I  can 
hardly  control  my  voice. 

-4  156  )■>- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

Jan.  5,  1854.  Married  Mr.  Sobieski  C.  Smith  and  Mary  Sontag 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  is  the  first  couple  I  ever 
married  and  I  did  it  with  some  trepidation.  However,  I  got  through 
as  well  as  I  anticipated.  Later  he  mentions  attending  the  funeral  of 
a  little  child  and  being  much  affected  by  the  grief  of  the  relatives; 
again  he  baptized  an  adult  and  an  infant  for  the  first  time  in  church: 
■'  Felt  quite  embarrassed.  Wife  thought  I  got  along  as  well  as  I  could 
wish." 

Sometimes  the  Cincinnati  hospitality  was  too  great  a  drain  upon 
his  strength.     He  writes: 

I  have  been  to  a  party  every  night  so  far  tliis  week.  No  human 
constitution  can  stand  such  a  drain  upon  it.  I  must  give  up  going 
out  nights.  The  evenings  are  really  the  best  time  to  study  and  I  must 
improve  them,  although  if  I  study  all  day  I  must  rest  in  the  evening. 

At  the  close  of  the  season's  lectures  he  says: 

The  course,  if  it  may  be  called  so,  has  not  been  very  successful. 
But  few  have  attended,  compared  with  such  courses  by  some  of  my 
predecessors.  But  I  believe  the  interest  increased,  and  that  I  have  suc- 
ceeded quite  as  well  as  I  could  expect  considering  my  want  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  duties  and  general  offices  of  my  profession  and  my  want 
of  practice  in  composition. 

Early  in  the  year  1855  Mr.  Giles  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Otis 
Clapp  of  Boston.  It  was  written  to  sound  him  as  to  his  acceptance 
of  an  invitation  to  go  to  Boston  for  one  year  as  assistant  to  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Worcester. 

He  says  in  reply,  January  30,  1855: 

If  I  know  my  own  wishes  I  desire  to  be  where  I  ought  to  be,  that 
is,  where  I  can  perform  the  most  use;  and  if  I  could  see  that  that 
place  is  Boston,  I  should  certainly  go  there  if  tlie  way  were  opened 
for  me. 

I  could  not  think  of  it,  however,  unless  there  was  a  very  decided 

-4  157  )§►•- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

wish  on  the  part  of  your  Society  to  have  me,  and  unless  I  thought  that 
desire  was  founded  upon  a  correct  general  knowledge  of  my  character 
and  abilities. 

I  hardly  know  how  I  am  regarded  here.  Everything  is  quiet,  and 
tlie  church  seems  to  be  gradually  coming  into  a  more  united  and 
better  state  than  formerly.  The  elements  of  discord  are  becoming 
less  active.  The  younger  members  of  the  church  and  society  seem 
to  be  drawing  more  closely  around  me.  But  I  do  not  know  whether 
it  is  merely  from  the  surface  or  from  novelty  or  from  a  real  internal 
ground. 

I  should  have  no  objection  to  being  an  assistant.  Indeed  I  should 
prefer  to  act  in  that  capacity  at  first,  provided  my  duties  and  my  rela- 
tions to  my  senior  were  clearly  defined  so  that  I  could  act  in  freedom 
in  my  own  circle  of  uses.  The  leisure  such  a  position  would  afford 
for  a  more  thorough  study  of  the  philosophy  and  doctrines  of  the 
Church  and  more  careful  preparation  of  my  discourses  would  be  ex- 
ceedingly pleasant  to  me,  also  the  general  course  of  duty,  especially 
that  relating  to  the  young.  Nothing  could  be  more  congenial  to  all  my 
habits  of  life.  However,  I  have  not  now  sufficient  data  to  answer  in- 
telligently. I  must  wait  the  leading  of  the  Divine  Providence  which, 
from  my  inmost  heart,  I  wish  to  follow. 

The  definite  invitation  from  the  Boston  Society  was  received  in  the 
following  September,  and  declined.  After  giving  several  reasons 
for  diis  decision  Mr.  Giles  says: 

At  a  general  meeting  of  the  Society  and  congregation  it  was  the 
unanimous  wish  —  only  one  person  not  voting  —  that  I  should  be 
elected  the  Pastor  of  the  Society.  This  entire  imanimity  and  the  very 
evident  desire  expressed  in  various  ways  by  old  and  young  that  I 
should  remain,  and  the  general  opinion  that  I  am  performing  an  im- 
portant use  here,  have  had  more  weight  with  me  than  all  others. 

The  following  letters  to  his  wife  were  written  at  dates  long  after 
Mr.  Giles's  decision  to  remain  in  Cincinnati,  but  these  extracts  from 
them  are  appropriate  here  as  indicative  of  his  warm  admiration  of 
the  New  England  New  Church  people. 

-^  158  ^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

Boston,  July  31,  1856. 

You  say  that  the  mode  of  life  of  the  New  Church  people  here  you 
think  would  suit  you,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  in  some  respects. 
Many  things  in  it  are  admirable  and  worthy  of  imitation.  They  are 
very  systematic,  orderly,  industrious,  and  have  gatliered  about  them 
many  of  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life.  Of  more  interest  to  me 
than  anything  else  here  are  the  beautiful  domestic  relations  that  seem 
and  I  doubt  not  do  exist  among  the  better  portions  of  the  people. 
There  is  a  tenderness  and  respectful  deference  between  husband  and 
wife,  children  and  parents,  which  is  very  beautiful  and  worthy  of 
imitation.  I  suppose,  however,  if  we  should  go  into  the  families  we 
should  find  they  were  not  all  perfect.  We  should  find  discord  and  in- 
subordination, and  many  trials.  I  believe  with  you,  however,  that 
on  the  whole  tliey  are  the  best  people  I  know  and  worthy  of  imitation. 
Mr.  Reed's  family,  I  think,  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  if  not  the  pleas- 
antest  in  which  I  have  ever  been,  and  the  more  I  see  of  it  the  better 
I  like  it. 

I  think  I  can  see  many  ways  in  which  we  might  improve  our  domes- 
tic relations,  so  that  your  duties  would  be  less  onerous  and  it  would 
be  pleasanter  for  all.  Certainly  I  will  do  all  I  can.  I  think  we  have 
lived  too  much  in  a  hurry,  and  I  expect  I  have  lived  too  much  to 
myself.  I  was  for  so  many  years  entirely  alone  that  it  is  very  difficult 
to  break  up  the  habit  of  being  absorbed  in  my  own  thoughts  when  I 
ought  to  be  communicating  them  to  others. 

Boston,  June  14.  1858. 
We  had  a  glorious  meeting  yesterday.  I  wish  you  could  have  been 
here.  The  music  was  positively  grand,  and  the  sphere  of  the  New 
Heaven  was  most  perceptible.  There  were  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  at  the  Communion  in  the  afternoon.  More  than  ever  assembled 
for  that  purpose  at  once,  on  earth  before.  In  the  evening  we  had  a 
pleasant  meeting  for  sacred  music;  I  tliink  no  one  could  spend  a  day 
under  such  influences  and  not  be  better  or  worse  for  it.  To-day 
we  have  been  out  into  the  bay  on  a  steamer  chartered  for  diat 
purpose. 

-♦■{  159  }a«~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayden  took  tea  at  Mr.  Reed's  to-night  and  I  had  quite 
a  chat  with  Mrs.  Hayden.  She  is  a  character,  I  can  assure  you.  I 
have  met  and  had  some  very  pleasant  talks  with  T.  S.  Arthur.  He  is 
a  very  quiet  man,  has  a  most  expressive  eye. 

I  am  in  that  beautiful  library  at  Mr.  Chandler's  that  you  remember 
so  well,  in  which  we  had  such  a  pleasant  tea  with  the  whole  Con- 
vention. It  is  Sunday  afternoon.  The  most  of  the  family  have  gone 
to  Sunday  School.  I  have  taken  my  nap,  and  while  I  have  a  moment's 
leisure  I  will  write  a  few  words  to  you.  I  stayed  with  Professor  Par- 
sons night  before  last.  Miss  Chandler  came  to  Mr.  Reed's  after  din- 
ner and  invited  me  to  take  tea  with  them  at  Cambridge,  and  I  accepted 
the  invitation.  I  had  a  very  pleasant  visit  and  Miss  Chandler,  the 
authoress  of  the  essays,  contributed  not  a  little  to  it.  I  had  a  long 
talk  with  her.  She  has  rather  a  loud  and  harsh  voice,  and  at  the  first 
does  not  impress  one  so  favorably  as  her  sister.  The  more  I  saw  of 
her,  however,  the  better  I  liked  her.  She  said  she  was  afraid  she 
should  not  like  my  sermon  as  well  when  she  came  to  read  it  as  she 
did  when  she  heard  it  in  the  church.  She  thought  perhaps  I  had  mag- 
netized her,  but  she  liked  it  better  if  anything  than  when  she  heard  it 
from  me.  She  wanted  to  know  what  I  had  written,  etc.,  but  you  will 
think  me  vain  if  I  say  anything  more  about  myself,  and  I  will  stop. 
We  came  into  Boston  in  the  morning  and  she  went  home  to  Lancaster. 
I  dined  at  Mr.  Reed's.  Mr.  Hayward  was  there.  After  dinner  I  came 
to  Brookline  and  we  drove  about  the  town,  which  seems  more  beautiful 
than  ever.  About  five  o'clock  we  went  on  to  the  Mill  Dam  to  see  a 
regatta  on  Charles  River.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  sight,  but  I  will  not 
attempt  a  description.  I  came  back  and  took  tea  and  spent  the  night 
at  Mr.  Chandler's.  Mrs.  Chandler  is  a  lovely  woman.  I  walked  with 
her  this  morning  before  breakfast  around  her  grounds,  which  are 
much  more  beautiful  than  they  were  when  we  were  here  before.  She 
has  seven  children.  After  we  returned  from  church  this  morning  I 
went  into  the  parlor  and  I  found  her  sitting  in  an  armchair,  with  two 
grown-up  daughters  and  a  niece  and  some  one  else  kneeling  around 
her  and  listening  to  something  she  was  telling  them.  There  was  so 
much  ease  and  unaffected  simplicity  in  the  whole  scene  that  I  was 

-4  160  ^- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

quite  charmed  with  it.  She  has  the  name  of  being  a  most  excellent 
and  amiable  woman  by  all  who  know  her.  But  I  must  close  my  long 
letter,  as  it  is  about  time  to  go  to  Mr.  Wellman's  and  it  looks  very 
much  like  a  shower.  Perhaps  you  recollect  that  Mrs.  Wellman  is  a 
sister  of  Mrs.  Mowatt,  now  Ritchie.  As  I  shall  see  more  of  her  I  shall 
be  able  to  tell  you  more  when  I  write  again.  The  air  is  filled  here  with 
the  songs  of  the  robin,  the  Baltimore  oriole,  and  the  bobolink.  I 
have  not  spent  a  Sabbath  for  years  which  so  carried  me  back  to  my 
boyhood. 

There  had  been  serious  illness  in  the  family,  and  the  diary  records 
that  on  the  14th  of  July  his  wife  and  children  had  so  far  recovered 
that  they  left  home  and  spent  some  weeks  in  Palmyra. 

Mr.  Giles  went  to  the  city  of  New  York  and  spent  several  days  with 
Professor  Bush  and  made  some  very  agreeable  acquaintances.  Profes- 
sor Bush  he  found  to  be  a  very  pleasant  man  and,  of  course,  learned. 
From  New  York  he  went  to  Boston.  Mrs.  Giles  had  remained  in  Pal- 
myra, and  her  husband  thus  writes  to  her  on  September  8th,  1858, 
their  wedding  anniversary. 

If  I  were  with  you  I  would  like  to  take  you  to  tlie  old  stone  house 
in  which  thirteen  years  ago  to-day  we  began  life  together.  I  have 
thought  of  it  much  to-day.  Since  then  we  have  seen  many  changes 
and  passed  through  many  trials.  We  have  been  led  in  a  way  that  I  did 
not  expect  and  that  you  did  not.  The  first  years  of  our  married  life 
were  years  of  great  suffering  to  you,  and  me  also.  And  indeed  every 
year  we  have  had  our  share  of  suffering.  The  current  of  life  has  not 
gone  smoothly  with  us.  And  yet  have  we  not  on  the  whole  attained 
to  even  higher  states  of  good  than  we  anticipated?  If  we  have  suf- 
fered, have  we  not  also  enjoyed?  We  certainly  have  accomplished 
much  for  ourselves  and  our  race.  We  have  four  children  in  heaven. 
Our  eldest  must  be  grown  to  adult  life  by  this  time.  It  seems  to  me  at 
times  as  if  I  could  almost  see  him,  clad  in  flowing  garments  of  spotless 
purity,  the  beauty  of  innocence  and  unalloyed  joy  sparkling  in  his 
face,  accompanied  by  those  as  spotless  as  himself,  and  doubtless  by 
the  other  little  ones  who  have  followed  him.  We  have  four  with  us 
also.    We  could  hardly  wish  them  to  be  otherwise  than  they  are.     We 

-4  161  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

certainly  could  not  expect  them  to  Ijc  better.  They  are  a  blessed 
heritage.  It  seems  to  me  to  give  nobility  to  life,  that  we  have  been 
made  tlie  instruments  of  giving  birth  to  them,  and  there  is  no  higher 
work  for  us  than  to  train  them  according  to  the  best  of  our  ability. 
I  sometimes  feel  sad  when  I  think  that  we  have  not  succeeded  in  ac- 
cumulating any  property;  but  when  I  see  the  use  that  is  made  of  it 
by  those  who  have  succeeded,  and  how  little  it  contributes  to  their 
happiness,  how  poor  they  are,  how  many  children  are  spoilt  by  it, — 
to  say  the  least,  my  grief  is  very  much  relieved.  If  we  had  better 
health  we  could  do  more  and  enjoy  more;  but  I  do  not  expect  we 
shall  either  of  us  ever  enjoy  perfect  physical  healtli  and  we  must 
make  the  best  of  what  we  have. 

A  letter  to  Chauncey,  aged  three 

Cincinnati,  Oct.  9,  1854. 

My  dear  little  boy  Channie:  Why  don't  you  come  home  to  see 
me?  I  want  to  see  you  so  much.  It  seems  so  lonely  here  without  you. 
No  little  boy  comes  to  my  study  door  now  and  raps  and  cries,  "  Pa, 
Pa,  Pa,  will  you  please  to  open  the  door?  "  I  have  no  little  boy  to 
sit  by  me  at  the  table  and  help  me  eat  my  breakfast.  Your  little  chair 
stands  in  the  comer  but  there  is  nobody  to  sit  in  it.  I  am  going  to 
get  one  for  Carrie,  and  then  Mamma  can  have  Carrie  sit  by  her  and 
I  can  have  you  sit  by  me.    Won't  that  be  nice? 

Since  I  commenced  writing  this  letter  Mrs.  G.  has  been  in.  You 
remember  her,  do  you  not?  She  brought  you  some  books  when  you 
were  sick.  She  wanted  to  know  if  you  were  well  and  she  was  very 
glad  to  hear  that  you  are.  Lucy  writes  to  me  that  you  are  a  very 
good  boy.  I  like  good  boys  and  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  try  to 
be  good.  I  expect  you  had  a  very  nice  time  at  Bloomfield.  Did 
you  get  any  nuts  for  me?  And  did  you  see  any  squirrels  in  the  woods 
or  on  the  trees  when  you  went  after  the  nuts? 

I  want  to  see  you  very  much.  Aren't  you  coming  home  pretty 
soon?  I  have  to  sleep  all  alone,  and  I  don't  have  anybody  to  bother 
me  a  bit.  Kiss  Carrie  and  Mamma  for  me,  and  come  and  see  me  as 
soon  as  you  can.     Good  night. 

-4  162 }»"- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

The  record  of  the  years  1854  to  1855  deals  abnost  entirely  with  the 
duties  of  his  profession.  In  fact,  after  the  first  few  months  there  is 
little  or  no  diary  but  merely  the  titles  of  sermons  or  lectures,  mention 
of  funerals  attended,  or  baptisms  or  marriages  chronicled.  Many 
of  his  discourses  were  delivered  extempore,  a  practice  which  he  after- 
wards abandoned  almost  entirely. 

It  was  a  long  journey  from  his  home  on  Vine  Street  hill  to  the 
church.  An  omnibus  was  the  only  public  conveyance  and  that  was  not 
always  convenient.  Mr.  Giles  had  a  horse,  but  mentions  that  it  was 
stolen  from  the  church  door  one  Sunday  in  1856.  As  he  had  one  after- 
wards I  do  not  know  whether  he  recovered  this  one  or  obtained  another. 

As  indicated  in  the  letter  of  advice  from  Mr.  Powell  on  the  prepa- 
ration of  sermons,  the  best  and  most  effective  way  of  presenting  truth 
often  engaged  Mr.  Giles's  thoughts.  He  was  constantly  endeavoring 
to  improve  his  own  methods;  but  his  ideals  so  far  outran  their  reali- 
zation that  he  was  much  dissatisfied  with  his  achievements. 

The  following  thoughts  on  the  subject  were  entered  in  his  diary  at 
various  times  in  the  first  years  of  his  ministry.  The  effort  to  improve 
and  tlie  means  to  effect  such  improvement  continued  throughout  his 
life. 

It  does  not  seem  to  me  as  if  we  had  got  hold  of  the  right  way  of 
preaching  in  the  New  Church  yet.  We  deal  too  much  with  the  dry 
bones.  It  seems  as  though  preaching  ought  to  be  more  eloquent  and 
effective  in  the  New  Church  than  it  has  ever  been,  but  its  true  form 
and  manner  have  not  yet  been  developed. 

The  trutli  is  most  of  the  New  Church  preaching  is  rather  dry  to 
common  minds,  and  indeed  to  all  who  are  not  carried  away  widi  the 
doctrines,  that  think  only  of  the  idea,  however  it  may  be  expressed. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  New  Church  truths  must  be  brought  into  forms 
adapted  to  the  states  of  those  who  hear,  as  far  as  possible. 

I  do  not  know  why  all  art  and  all  embellishment  of  which  tliey  are 
susceptible  should  not  be  used  to  lead  the  minds  of  others  to  them. 

Aug.  10,  1856.  I  must  study  more  and  I  must  make  a  study  of 
learning  to  write.  I  am  not  critical  enough.  I  have  not  thought 
enougli  about  die  forms  and  proper  structure  of  a  sermon.  I  must 
try  to  get  a  more  familiar  knowledge  of  language  and  a  greater  mas- 
tery over  it.  There  is  no  greater  work  than  Uiat  in  which  I  am  now 
engaged,  and  I  ought  to  be  a  workman  worthy  of  my  calling. 

-4  163  }?►- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  14,  1856.  11  one  only  had  knowledge  enough 
and  command  of  language  enough  he  might  preach.  What  a  wonder- 
ful field  the  New  Church  opens  for  charms  of  rational  truth,  for 
fullness  and  beauty  of  illustration  and  expression.  The  Science  of  Cor- 
respondences allows  the  widest  scope  of  illustration,  and  is  all  derived 
from  actual  relation;  not  mere  figures,  but  the  truth  in  another  form. 

I  had  not  been  well  during  the  week,  and  it  was  very  hard  to  write 
my  discourse.  I  was  not  in  a  very  good  mood  for  preaching  but  1  did 
the  best  I  could.  Did  I?  Do  we  ever?  There  may  be  some  ques- 
tion of  that.     Who  does  as  well  as  he  can  in  anytliing? 

I  lectured  with  a  good  deal  of  trepidation,  [before  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.]  for  it  was  my  first  eft'ort  at  a  distance  from  home. 
The  audience  listened  with  deep  attention  and  I  tliink  witli  interest. 
The  lecture  could  not  be  called  popular,  for  I  am  not  a  popular  man 
and  have  none  of  the  arts  to  catch  applause.  My  personal  friends  said 
it  was  much  better  than  they  expected. 

But  I  cannot  grasp  these  subjects  as  I  wish  and  1  fear  I  may  never 
do  it.  Man's  spiritual  interests  do  not  seem  so  real  and  important 
as  his  natural  and  it  is  difficult  to  present  them  so  that  they  will.  But 
we  need  more  plainness  and  directness  in  preaching  and  talking  about 
the  spirit. 

In  February,  1856,  Dr.  Lakey,  my  mother's  uncle,  was  taken  into 
their  home  to  be  nursed  and  cared  for  during  his  last  illness.  The 
diary  merely  records  the  fact  that  he  is  there  and  "  needs  a  good  deal 
of  attention."  He  died  June  26,  1856.  The  "attention"  which  he 
needed  was  given  to  him  very  faithfully.  His  nieces  all  loved  their 
uncle,  and  felt  that  to  his  interest  and  fostering  care  they  owed  much 
of  their  best  mental  cultivation.  They  were  somewhat  in  awe  of  him. 
As  one  of  them  remarked,  "  Strange  that  one  so  loved  should  be  so 
feared!  "  His  family  letters  are  very  strongly  illustrative  of  his  char- 
acter, usually  opening  with  some  historical  reference  appropriate  to 
the  date  on  which  he  wrote.  This  he  would  afterwards  ingeniously 
apply  to  some  present  conditions  or  to  point  a  moral  for  my  mother's 
edification. 

Over  and  over  again  was  she  advised  to  let  the  children  use  no  word 

-4  164  ^- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

they  could  not  spell,  to  learn  to  reckon  time  aright,  to  begin  to  read 
the  Bible  early,  and  to  read  from  cover  to  cover,  to  divide  the  year 
correctly,  etc.  One  cannot  but  smile  at  the  recommendation  to  this 
mother  of  four  young  children  and  busy  with  household  duties  to  read 
Bacon  and  Lecky.  When  Mrs.  Giles  announced  her  intention  of  writ- 
ing every  day  he  says: 

You  have  resolved  to  use  your  pen  daily,  an  excellent  resolution 
which  I  adjure  thee  to  keep  religiously.  But,  my  dear  child,  can  you 
do  it?  Are  you  willing  to  be  called  odd  and  eccentric?  Alas,  I  fear 
not.  More  than  several  liundrcd  years  ago  an  English  poet  said  that 
your  sex  was  only  fit  "  to  suckle  fools  and  chronicle  small  beer."  Was 
this  a  libel?  This  assertion  is  sustained  by  about  999/lOOOths  of  our 
American  females.  I  have  known  them  to  speak  bad  English  from  a 
fear  of  beine  unfashionable!! 


'o 


One  of  his  letters  mentions  briefly  the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  Masonic  order  in  the  United  States,  November  5,  1852.     He 

says: 

I  arrayed  myself  in  masonic  clothing:  what  had  been  a  costly  sash 
and  apron,  but  now,  like  its  owner,  much  faded  and  timewom.  This 
was  a  Centennial  celebration;  it  can  happen  but  once  in  a  hundred 
years!  I  looked  around  upon  the  immense  sea  of  heads  that  sur- 
rounded me  and  reflected  that  by  1952  Death  will  have  mowed  his 
harvest  three  times  from  the  earth's  surface!  Tlien  indeed  "Our 
names  shall  be  a  morning  dream,  a  tale  that 's  told."  Two  venerable 
octogenarians  of  our  brethren  were  placed  near  the  pulpit,  for  they 
had  actually  sat  in  the  same  Lodge  with  Washington  some  sixty  years 
ago!  I  almost  envied  them  the  privilege  of  looking  in  the  face  of  that 
immortal  man! 

An  excellent  portrait  of  Dr.  Lakey  has  always  hung  on  the  walls 
of  Mr.  Giles's  study,  so  his  features  have  been  familiar  to  the  children 
of  the  family  and  his  memory  has  been  kept  alive  by  many  interesting 
anecdotes.  I  have  in  my  possession  a  silver  cup  which  we  call  the 
"toddy  cu])."     It  was  used  by  Dr.  Lakey,  who  had  a  good  deal  of 

— ^:{  165  }[*- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

handsome  silver,  for  heating  the  water  for  his  whiskey  toddy.  This 
was  so  blackened  by  the  smoke  of  the  fire  that  its  value  was  not  dis- 
covered by  the  burglars  who  stole  the  greater  part  of  his  silver.  The 
cup  is  inscribed: 

Sacred  to  friendshij)  and  brotherly  love 
James  Lakey.    Bom.  .  .    Died.  .  . 

Strange  that  "Dr.  Day  and  Date"  should  have  omitted  the  figures 
for  his  own  birth  and  have  failed  to  leave  directions  for  tlie  date  of  his 
death. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1855,  previous  to  Dr.  Lakey's  coming 
into  the  family,  Edward  Giles  was  bom.  Thus  during  all  Uncle 
James's  illness  my  mother  had  in  addition  the  care  of  a  young  baby 
and  of  two  other  children,  aged  respectively  five  and  three.  How  did 
she  do  it!  The  two  older  children,  Lucy  and  Warren,  were  so  early 
trained  into  habits  of  usefulness  that  doubtless  they  were  very  help- 
ful, but  the  pressure  of  many  duties  was  great,  and  Mrs.  Giles  met  it 
with  her  usual  quiet  efficiency. 

Although  Mr.  Giles  decided,  very  wisely  as  after  events  proved,  not 
to  go  to  Urbana  as  a  professor  of  languages,  his  interest  in  the  school 
was  very  keen.  As  he  was  considered  in  Ohio  one  of  the  best  edu- 
cators in  the  state,  the  pioneers  in  the  project  naturally  turned  to  him 
for  counsel. 

In  1858  he  was  elected  president,  and  although  he  never  lived  in 
Urbana,  for  many  years  he  was  in  constant  touch  with  the  affairs  of  the 
school  by  visits  and  meetings  with  the  trustees,  and  by  letters  to  his 
friend  Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams,  who  valued  the  correspondence  so 
highly  that  he  preserved  it  entire  and  bound  the  letters  in  a  volume. 

These  letters  treat  of  various  factors  in  the  conduct  of  the  school: 
the  organization  of  the  faculty,  the  arrangement  of  classes,  selection 
of  teachers,  auditing  of  accounts,  the  use  and  choice  of  school- 
books  and  studies,  with  occasional  home  news  and  more  personal 
matters. 

Mr.  Giles  writes  thus  to  Mr.  Williams  after  agreeing  to  be  president: 

Cincinnati,  July  28,  1858. 
I  have  accepted  the  office  of  president  with  hesitation  and  reluct- 
ance, not  from  any  unwillingness  to  do  all  that  I  can  for  the  College, 

-^  166  ^- 


-■{•P.-W**, 


Ml!.    AM)    \li;s.    (;||.ES 


About  1857 
During  Cincinnati  Pastorate 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

whose  welfare  I  have  always  had  very  much  at  heart,  but  from  the 
fear  that  I  might  not  be  of  any  essential  use  to  it.  In  making  the  de- 
cision I  have  been  guided  quite  as  much  by  the  advice  and  judgment 
of  others  as  by  my  own.  The  most  that  I  can  do  at  present  must  in 
the  nature  of  things  be  very  little,  for  I  am  now  overworked.  I  shall 
try  to  be  with  you  a  few  days  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  term  to 
render  you  any  assistance  in  my  power,  and  in  the  mean  time  I  shall 
be  glad  to  receive  any  communication  from  the  professors  touching 
the  interests  of  the  College,  that  they  may  consider  it  useful  to  make 
or  for  me  to  know.  I  hope  there  will  be  great  freedom  and  friendli- 
ness in  our  intercourse. 

The  little  that  I  can  do  I  shall  do  most  cheerfully,  and  as  far  as 
I  am  called  upon  to  act  I  shall  regard  myself  as  a  common  laborer 
widi  the  teachers  for  the  common  end.  I  would  suggest  to  all  the  pro- 
fessors the  propriety  of  looking  over  the  course  of  study  and  making 
such  alterations  as  their  experience  and  wisdom  may  suggest,  so  that 
we  may  have  the  subject  in  as  mature  and  perfect  a  form  as  possible 
when  we  meet.  You  may  hand  this  letter  to  Professor  Cathcart  if  you 
please. 

Most  of  the  following  were  written  before  Mr.  Giles  accepted  the 
office  of  president.  They  give  some  idea  of  the  variety  of  subjects 
considered : 

Cincinnati,  Oct.  19,  1857. 

Young  Ager  was  licensed  on  the  ground  of  his  being  yet  a  member 
of  the  College  and  therefore  within  our  jurisdiction,  if  we  have  any, 
and  because  there  is  no  general  body  of  the  Church  in  New  Hampshire. 
I  do  not  think  our  New  England  friends  will  complain,  but  if  they  do, 
you  know  we  live  in  this  great  West  and  breathe  the  free  western  air. 
and  if  we  choose  to  annex  New  Hampshire  who  shall  say  us  nay? 
[Mr.  Ager  was  ordained  three  years  later  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Ohio  Association.] 

If  the  professors  have  more  than  they  can  do,  I  think  it  would  be 
good  policy  to  reduce  the  number  of  classes.  It  is  wise  to  have  as 
few  of  them  as  possible,  and  sometimes  a  little  forcing  of  the  predi- 

-4  167  }3^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

lections  of  scholars  or  a  change  of  the  order  of  their  studies  will 
render  such  a  practice  feasible. 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  5,  1858. 

I  have  given  llie  plan  for  the  reorganization  of  the  Faculty  in  the 
College  some  more  consideration,  and  I  cannot  see  how  it  will  obviate 
any  of  the  diflficulties  with  which  we  have  had  to  contend.  Calling  men 
by  new  names  will  not  give  them  any  new  ability  or  reconcile  any  old 
or  already  existing  discrepancies.  Besides,  it  adds  another  salary  to 
those  we  already  have  and  find  so  difficult  to  pay.  It  is  a  novelty  also, 
so  far  as  I  know,  to  elect  the  officers  of  a  College  for  a  specified  time. 

It  is  generous  and  perhaps  just  to  allow  the  Dean  a  percentage  on  all 
moneys  received  and  paid  out,  but  in  the  present  financial  leanness  of 
the  treasury  I  should  doubt  the  propriety  of  such  an  arrangement  unless 
the  percentage  came  from  the  students,  and  then  I  should  doubt  the 
policy  still  more. 

I  hope  some  competent  person  will  be  appointed  to  audit  the  ac- 
counts and  supervise  the  whole  financial  condition  of  the  College. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  natural  sciences  are  better  adapted  to 
cultivate  habits  of  accurate  observation  and  afford  a  greater  amount 
of  knowledge  that  will  enable  young  people  to  understand  the  doctrines 
of  the  New  Church  than  any  other  branches  of  study.  I  do  not  expect 
that  we  can  give  Natural  History  that  prominence  which  it  intrinsically 
deserves,  but  I  think  we  should  look  to  such  an  end.  Language  is 
good,  is  essential,  was  once  thought  to  be  all  that  was  necessary,  but  that 
was  a  faith-alone  principle.  As  the  New  Church  descends  there  will 
be  a  change  in  tliat  respect. 

Cincinnati,  June  20,  1858.  I  went  to  Urbana  this  morning  to  attend 
the  Commencement  of  the  Urbana  University.  Wife  went  with  me. 
We  had  a  pleasant  time  and  the  students  acquitted  themselves  very 
creditably. 

For  the  first  time  I  presided  at  a  Commencement  and  conferred  the 
Degrees  on  four  young  gentlemen  and  one  young  lady.  Returned 
June  23d. 

-4  168  )^'- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

To  Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams 

Cincinnati,  Oct.  26,  1858. 
I  am  very  busy  just  now.  Have  you  heard  of  the  Concerts  in  the 
process  of  production  by  the  "  Giles  Family  "?  We  are  giving  a  series 
of  Parlor,  Chamber,  Kitchen,  and  miscellaneous  Concerts,  technically 
—  and  authentically  —  called  Whooping  Cough  concerts.  I  have  five 
children  performing  constantly,  —  a  glorious  quintette,  I  can  assure 
you.  By  constant  attendance  upon  them  I  have  become  so  much  im- 
bued witli  the  spirit  that  I  can  accompany  them  with  a  double  bass,  and 
in  some  cases  I  have  even  succeeded  in  performing  with  great  execu- 
tion a  solo. 

In  February,  1859,  Mr.  Giles  organized  a  class  for  young  people, — 
a  most  important  work,  for  by  his  sympathy  with  them  and  the  interest 
his  teachings  excited,  their  love  for  the  doctrines  and  uses  of  the  Church 
was  increased,  tliey  became  greatly  attached  to  him,  and  the  society 
became  more  united.  Later  in  the  year,  in  October,  a  class  for  young 
ladies  was  formed.     This  class  met  at  the  pastor's  house. 

One  of  the  members  writes: 

It  was  a  walk  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from  where  most  of  us  lived  to 
the  hills,  and  another  half  mile  climb  to  tlie  house,  up  a  steep  patli  with 
rough  stone  steps  a  part  of  the  way.  It  was  before  the  days  of  inclined 
planes  or  even  of  street  cars  or  omnibuses.  And  every  week  a  party 
of  the  young  people  would  go  over  this  toilsome  route  to  see  Mr.  Giles 
and  have  a  meeting  of  a  young  people's  class. 

There  was  much  illness  in  the  family  in  March,  so  that  it  was  not 
singular  diat  on  one  of  tlie  Sundays  Mr.  Giles  forgot  his  sermon.  His 
house  was  at  too  great  a  distance  for  him  to  return,  so  inwardly  feeling 
much  embarrassed  he  preached  extempore.  Many  years  later  he  did 
the  same  thing  in  New  York,  but  as  he  lived  near  by  he  went  home 
for  his  sermon  and  returned  to  preach  to  a  waiting  congregation  as  if 
nothing  had  occurred.  Wlien,  as  sometimes  ha[)pened.  the  family 
would  sit  down  to  meals  and  my  father  failed  to  appear.  Mother  would 
remark  in  her  gentle  way,  "1  think  your  father  must  have  an  idea!  " 
He  had  "an  idea"  which  so  engrossed  him  one  Sunday  at  church  time 

-*!{  169  }§.■- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

that  he  forgot  the  service.     Some  one  was  sent  to  tell  him,  and  with  a 
"  Bless  my  soul !  "  he  hastily  departed  for  church. 

An  entry  in  his  diary  shows  his  presence  of  mind  during  such  un- 
toward incidents: 

When  I  was  half  through  with  my  discourse  a  gust  of  wind  blew  the 
slip  of  paper  containing  the  heads  of  it  away.  I  kept  on,  however, 
without  noticing  it. 

On  another  occasion  a  member  of  the  family  stopped  him  just  in  time 
to  prevent  his  appearance  on  the  street  with  a  foot  of  gaily  colored 
dressing  gown  hanging  from  beneatli  his  overcoat. 

One  Sunday  in  May,  after  the  morning  service,  he  drove  to  Rockland 
and  preached  in  tlie  house  of  Mr.  Robert  Riley.  On  this  occasion  he 
baptized  sixteen  persons,  fifteen  of  whom  were  descendants  of  D.  W.  G. 
Gano,  one  of  die  original  members  of  the  Cincinnati  Society.  The 
house  was  a  new  one  and  the  services  were  in  part  a  "  dedication  to  the 
sacred  uses  of  home."  This  Mr.  Giles  characterized  as  an  "  exceed- 
ingly beautiful  and  impressive  scene,  truly  worthy  of  imitation." 

The  year  1859,  like  most  others,  was  a  busy  one.  After  tlie  morning 
service  on  Sunday,  from  October  24th  to  July  10th  he  preached  nearly 
every  other  Sunday  in  Glendale,  one  of  Cincinnati's  suburbs.  Besides, 
there  were  the  lectures  which  were  given  in  tlie  church  in  the  evening. 
In  May  he  stayed  in  New  York  for  two  Sundays,  preaching  morning 
and  evening  to  that  Society.  On  June  12th  he  attended  Convention  in 
Philadelphia.  Of  one  meeting,  in  a  home  letter  he  makes  the  following 
amusing  comment: 

I  have  made  several  short  speeches  in  the  Convention  to-day  and 
expect  to  make  another  to-morrow.  One  was  against  a  resolution  pre- 
sented by  the  Committee  of  ministers  declaring  that  the  Convention  is 
in  favor  of  having  ministers  wear  a  clerical  dress.  I  proposed  to 
amend  the  resolution  so  that  it  should  read  as  follows: 

"  Resolved,  that  every  minister  dress  as  he  pleases."  The  whole 
matter  was  finally  withdrawn  without  any  action.  Mr.  Worcester  has 
appointed  me  to  write  an  answer  to  the  address  of  the  English  Con- 
ference and  that  will  keep  me  pretty  busy  to-night  and  to-morrow 
morning. 

-4  170  ^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

On  July  24th  he  preached  again  in  New  York,  and  the  following 
Sunday  in  Boston.  Early  in  August  he  visited  Mr.  Thomas  Hitchcock 
at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and  baptized  one  of  his  children. 

Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  13,  1860.  This  is  a  memorable  day  in  my  history. 
Our  dear  little  Eddie  was  taken  from  us  by  the  Good  Shepherd  about 
half  past  four  o'clock  this  morning.  His  disease  was  measles  accom- 
panied by  croup.  He  was  ill  but  a  little  more  than  three  days.  He  was 
a  beautiful,  loving  child,  and  his  removal  has  left  a  great  void  in  our 
hearts.  His  age  was  four  years,  sixteen  days.  He  was  born  the  28th 
of  December,  1855.  Dear  Soul!  He  has  gone  to  be  an  angel;  to  dwell 
in  light  and  beauty  and  joy  forever.  It  is  not  a  sad  thought,  though  we 
miss  him  so  much.  So  far  the  year  has  been  one  of  very  serious 
alTliction.  Sister  Ellen,  who  for  a  long  time  has  been  a  member  of 
our  family,  died  at  Decatur  on  the  3d  of  January,  and  I  have  been  sick 
most  of  the  time  and  am  now  quite  feeble.  Carrie  and  Charlie  have 
also  been  ill  and  dear  Wife  is  almost  worn  out  with  watching.  I  hope 
we  shall  all  be  better  soon.  These  afflictions  I  doubt  not  are  for  our 
spiritual  good  in  some  way,  and  I  acquiesce  most  cheerfully  in  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  Divine  Providence,  knowing  that  it  is  one  of  love  and 
mercy. 

Cincinnati,  Feb.  12,  1860.  Preached  an  old  discourse.  The  Society 
has  concluded  to  send  me  South  a  little  while  to  recruit  my  health. 
Sickness  and  affliction  have  prostrated  me  very  much.  It  has  been  a 
hard,  a  very  hard  winter  for  me.  I  know  not  what  will  be  die  result 
of  it.  To-morrow  I  leave  for  New  Orleans  to  be  absent  six  or  eight 
weeks.     I  leave  my  family  and  Society  behind. 

Mr.  Giles  traveled  South  by  one  of  the  river  steamers  and  mentions 
that  he  preached  on  board  the  boat.  This  trip  was  not  only  beneficial 
to  his  licaltli,  but  he  met  |)rominent  New  (Churchmen  of  the  South  like 
Dr.  lloliombe  and  Glcndy  Burke.  He  baptized  two  of  Dr.  Hol(."und)e"s 
children,  and  in  New  Orleans  gave  cheer  to  the  little  society  which  at 
that  time  met  in  Mr.  Burke's  house. 

-••gf  171  ^■■- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

From  C.  Giles  to  Mrs.  Giles 

Steamboat  Charmer,  Mississippi  River, 
Sabbath  morning,  March  25,  1860. 

Now  you  are  just  setting  out  for  church;  I  wish  I  were  going  willi 
you.  It  will  be  a  very  happy  moment  for  me  when  I  can  again  stand  in 
my  place  and  enter  upon  my  duties. 

Since  I  left  home  I  have  had  time  for  reflection  and  I  have  seen  my 
work  in  a  different  light  from  what  I  ever  did  before  and  I  hope  I  shall 
be  able  to  do  it  better.  I  have  tried  to  see  in  what  respects  I  have  done 
it  poorly,  how  I  have  come  short.  Well,  I  have  come  short  in  every- 
thing, but  in  some  things  more  than  others.  Oh,  if  I  could  be  instru- 
mental in  making  our  Society  a  genuine  New  Church  Society  in  life 
as  well  as  doctrine;  in  bringing  up  the  children  in  the  love  of  the  doc- 
trines and  in  the  purity  of  life  which  diey  teach,  I  should  be  satisfied. 
I  am  afraid  our  religion  has  been  too  much  of  the  head.  We  must  try 
to  get  it  more  into  the  heart. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  feel  that  you  are  regarded  with  interest  and 
pleasure  by  those  who  have  never  seen  you.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  know  Mr. 
Giles,"  say  those  to  whom  I  am  introduced,  "  I  have  read  many  of  his 
sermons."  I  have  been  asked  by  several  to  publish  a  volume  of  ser- 
mons and  I  think  I  will  do  it. 

How  do  you  all  do  to-day?  Oh,  dear,  dear,  how  I  wish  I  could  see 
you!  Won't  it  be  a  happy  time  when  I  am  at  home  again!  Wlien  I 
can  have  little  Charlie  climbing  over  me,  and  Carrie  and  Channie  and 
all  of  you  around  me.  Won't  it  be  a  delicious  meal  even  if  there  be 
nothing  but  dry  bread,  when  I  can  sit  down  with  you  all  again!  I  am 
sure  the  dining-room  will  look  bright  even  on  a  cloudy  day.  Indeed, 
even  the  coal  smoke  of  Cincinnati  will  look  clean  and  pleasant.  I 
don't  allow  my  mind  to  dwell  upon  it;  if  I  did  I  should  not  remain  here 
a  day  longer.  I  would  not  even  wait  for  a  boat,  but  take  the  cars,  and 
then  I  would  want  to  be  on  the  lightning  train.  What  is  life  worth 
without  home?  Not  much  to  me.  How  thankful  I  am  to  our  Heavenly 
Father  that  in  His  Divine  Mercy  He  has  given  me  so  good  and  pleasant 
a  one  where  all  my  thoughts  centre,  where  my  life  takes  root,  in  which 

-'<i  172  ^'- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

I  live  wherever  I  may  be.  And  you  who  are  the  centre  of  it,  how  can 
I  thank  you  enough?  How  shall  I  express  how  much  I  am  indebted  to 
you?  I  cannot  do  it.  But  I  will  keep  trying  the  next  myriad  of  years, 
and  then  I  shall  be  more  indebted  to  you  than  I  am  now. 

When  I  kneel  for  worship  at  night  it  seems  as  though  you  came  and 
knelt  on  one  side  of  me  and  our  dear  little  angel  Eddie  on  the  other. 
Do  you?  It  is  delightful  to  think  of  it,  to  feel  it  so  sensibly.  In  thought 
I  am  witli  you  most  of  the  time,  but  you  seem  to  come  to  me  on  this 
occasion. 

You  mention  the  reception  of  my  letter  from  Vicksburg.  I  was  sick 
of  the  boat  life.  There  was  so  much  that  was  offensive  to  any  one  with 
a  moral  sense.  I  cannot  describe  to  you  the  amount  of  degradation 
I  saw.  Men  throw  off  their  pretensions  at  such  times.  I  was  reminded 
often  of  things  I  have  read  in  the  Memorable  Relations.  But  I  was 
treated  very  civilly  and  personally  have  no  cause  to  complain. 

After  telling  of  some  pleasant  social  experiences  he  continues: 

I  am  a  great  ways  off.  By  the  river  it  is  fifteen  hundred  miles.  I 
am  very  sorry  to  be  separated  from  you  and  the  children,  but  I  know 
it  is  good  for  me  and  the  people  here  and  for  us  all.  "  No  good  thing 
will  He  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly."  "  All  diings  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God."  This  is  surely  so,  and  I 
delight  to  think  of  it. 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  C.  Giles 

New  Orleans,  March  4,  1860. 
It  is  now  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  a  warm,  beautiful  day.  I  have  felt  a 
little  homesick,  for  I  want  to  see  you  all  so  much.  This  has  been  a 
great  gala  day.  The  fire  companies  have  had  a  grand  parade.  The 
streets  are  full  of  women,  men,  and  children,  of  all  colors  and  all  na- 
tions. There  is  music,  noise,  and  swearing,  and  everything  that  is  un- 
like the  peace  of  the  Sabbath.  If  I  look  up  to  the  heavens  it  is  clear, 
serene,  and  peaceful;  if  I  look  around  me  it  is  all  tumult  and  confu- 
sion.    And  so  it  is  in  all  things.     We  must  look  to  the  mountains, 

-■^  173  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

whence  doth  come  our  help.     We  must  look  up  and  then  we  shall  be 
lifted  above  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  natural  life. 

To  Mrs,  Giles  from  C.  Giles 

New  Orleans,  April  4,  1860. 

I  hope  to  follow  diis  letter  so  soon  that  if  I  do  not  overtake  it  I  shall 
be  but  a  few  days  behind.  I  shall  come  in  the  cars,  and  if  I  find  the 
ride  too  fatiguing  I  shall  lie  by  one  train;  but  by  the  means  of  sleeping 
cars  I  think  I  can  go  right  through.  The  people  say  I  look  much  better 
than  I  did.  Mr.  Glascoe  writes  that  you  had  snow  the  last  Sunday  in 
March,  and  I  am  afraid  it  would  be  worse  for  me  to  go  into  cold  now 
than  it  would  be  to  have  remained  in  it.  It  has  indeed  afforded  me 
much  pleasure  to  see  that  I  could  be  of  some  use  here,  that  I  was  not 
quite  laid  on  the  shelf  even  if  I  could  not  preach  much. 

The  Society  meets  in  a  room  not  much  larger  than  our  parlor,  and  it 
is  no  more  effort  to  read  a  sermon  to  them  than  it  would  be  to  sit  down 
and  talk  an  hour.  Mr.  Burke  read  the  service  so  that  I  did  nothing  but 
deliver  the  discourse,  and  they  were  almost  as  glad  to  hear  it  as  a 
hungry  man  is  to  get  a  good  meal. 

Dr.  Holcombe  gave  me  medicine,  which  I  am  taking  regularly,  and  I 
think  it  is  helping  me.  He  says  I  ought  not  to  think  of  going  home 
before  the  first  of  May;  but  I  shall  do  as  I  have  often  done  before,  dis- 
obey the  doctors,  and  I  hope  with  equally  good  results. 

In  the  Diary  we  find  this  record: 

Cincinnati,  April  15,  1860.  This  has  been  a  happy  day  for  me.  I 
stood  in  my  old  place  and  saw  the  old  faces  upturned  to  me,  heard  the 
old  music,  and  felt  the  warm  sphere  of  love  with  which  I  was  greeted. 
The  attention  was  most  profound  and  I  felt  much  sustained.  I  have 
never  felt  so  much  drawn  to  my  people,  and  I  hope  I  may  long  live 
to  be  of  use  to  them ;  to  preach  better  and  in  every  way  to  do  better  than 
I  have  ever  done  before.  I  must  study  more,  visit  more,  talk  more  with 
the  young,  and  in  every  way  do  more  for  the  cause  of  our  Lord  and 
Master. 

-^  174  ^- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

In  June  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  attended  the  General  Convention  in  Chi- 
cago. Here  Mrs.  Giles  was  taken  ill.  They  remained  in  Chicago  for 
three  weeks,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  Mrs.  Giles  was  taken  to  Cin- 
cinnati, but  did  not  fully  recover  her  health  until  November. 


To  Mr.  Milo  G.  Williams 

Sept.  6,  1860. 

Our  Society  has  finally  wheeled  into  line.  Last  evening  we  had  a 
meeting  and  voted  unanimously  to  apply  for  admission  into  the  General 
Society.  I  have  no  doubt  there  were  some  who  were  opposed  to  it  but 
they  stayed  away.  I  think  we  shall  have  a  good  meeting,  and  I  hope 
Ohio  will  regain  the  place  she  once  occupied  in  the  front  rank  of  those 
who  are  working  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  Church. 

Mrs.  Giles,  I  am  happy  to  say,  is  decidedly  better.  She  begins  to  sit 
up  a  little,  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  I  think  we  shall  know  how  to 
appreciate  the  time,  if  it  ever  comes,  when  we  shall  not  have  to  call  upon 
a  doctor  or  take  any  medicine.  My  oldest  son,  Warren,  has  begun 
school  after  an  absence  of  two  years.  He  takes  hold  of  his  studies 
with  real  energy. 

You  will  think  this  letter  a  miserable  scrawl  but  I  cannot  help  it. 
I  have  the  erysipelas  in  my  wrist,  and  I  found  the  pen  I  usually  use  so 
stiff  that  I  could  not  work  very  well  and  so  have  taken  one  of  gutta- 
percha, which  is  intended  to  be  a  substitute  for  a  goose  quill.  I  have 
begun  to  copy  my  letters  also  and  succeed  just  tolerably,  but  I  shall 
improve  by  practice. 

Sept.  14,  1860.  The  General  Society  of  the  New  Church  in  Ohio 
met  in  the  Temple  this  morning.  It  was  much  better  attended  than 
usual  and  I  think  was  a  profitable  meeting.  The  name  was  changed 
from  "General  Society"  to  "Ohio  Association."  John  Curtis  Ager 
was  ordained  and  the  Holy  Supper  was  administered.  Several  were 
present  from  the  country. 

Here  follow  various  quotations  from  Mr.  Giles's  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Williams  which  may  be  of  general  interest. 

-4  175  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  shall  concur  most  heartily  in  conferring  the  degree  of  A.M.  upon 
Mr.  Ager  and  in  having  him  installed  into  a  professorship.  This  I 
hope  will  he  done.  I  have  no  douht  Mr.  Ager  could  do  much  good  as 
a  missionary  here,  but  I  think  he  can  do  much  more  at  Urbana.  He  is 
yet  young,  and  he  can  be  perfecting  his  studies  while  he  is  performing 
his  duties  as  a  professor  in  the  college,  and  thus  lay  a  broad  and  deep 
foundation  for  greater  usefulness  in  the  future  if  he  should  some  time 
devote  his  whole  strength  to  the  ministry. 

Can  your  society  take  hold  of  the  matter  about  which  we  have  talked 
so  much  and  done  so  little  —  a  general  missionary  fund?  Can  you  not 
take  up  a  collection  or  make  up  a  subscription  so  that  every  one,  even 
the  children,  can  have  a  chance  to  help  in  the  good  work?  I  should 
like  to  hear  from  you  on  this  subject  and  receive  any  suggestions  that 
may  occur  to  you  about  the  best  mode  of  procedure. 

Nov.  19,  1860. 
On  this  date  my  wife  returned  home  enough  improved  in  health  to 
be  able  to  walk  about  the  house  and  sit  up  most  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Giles's  outlook  went  beyond  his  little  society.  In  these  extracts 
from  letters  written  to  the  Messenger  are  some  of  the  helpful  suggestions 
he  had  in  mind  for  the  church. 

The  religious  newspaper  has  been  too  long  a  battlefield  upon  which 
the  champions  of  different  truths  marshal  their  forces  quite  as  often 
to  fight  with  each  other  as  against  those  falsities  which  are  the  common 
enemy  of  humanity.  I  would  like  to  make  it  more  like  a  room  for 
social  gatherings  and  pleasant  greetings.  I  want  to  talk  to  you,  ray 
brother  and  sister.  I  want  comfort  and  strength  from  you.  Has  not 
the  Lord  given  you  some  message  for  me? 

But  we  cannot  go  a  thousand  miles  and  carry  these  heavy  bodies 
along  with  us.  May  not  the  Messenger  annihilate  time  and  space  for 
us  and  bring  us  together;  be  our  wishing-hat  which  we  can  clap  upon 
our  heads  and  straightway  be  face  to  face?  What  say  you,  Mr.  Editor? 
Will  you  give  us  a  welcome  if  we  come  not  only  to  see  you,  but  each 
other?     Will  you  let  us  chat  a  little  even  if  we  do  not  mind  all  our 

-4  176  ^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

stops  and  express  ourselves  in  the  most  correct  and  logical  manner? 

And  if  the  Editor  says  "Yes,"  will  you  meet  me,  my  friends  in  the 

Messenger,  once  a  week  or  month,  as  time  and  inclination  permit?     I 

pause  for  a  reply. 

(Signed)  Inquirer. 

Again  he  writes: 

I  have  been  thinking  about  my  last  letter  and  I  would  like  to  say 
something  more  about  it.  There  are  many  subjects  connected  with 
the  instruction  and  worship  of  the  Church  upon  which  I  think  it  would 
be  interesting  and  profitable  to  get  the  experience  and  practice  of  per- 
sons in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Take  the  Sunday  school,  for  ex- 
ample: 1  would  like  to  know  how  they  conduct  their  schools  in  Chicago, 
Boston,  Cincinnati,  Philadelphia,  or  in  any  place  where  there  is  one; 
what  they  teach  and  how  they  teach  it;  what  books  they  use  and  what 
means  to  keep  the  pupils.  Have  they  any  systematic  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  doctrines?  What  books  do  they  find  suitable  for  a  Sunday- 
school  library?  I  suppose  there  might  be  fifty-two  such  letters  written 
every  year  and  a  great  amount  of  useful  information  communicated. 
There  are  many  other  topics  connected  with  worship  in  the  church  and 
relating  to  the  social  intercourse  of  its  members.  Some  who  have  had 
experience  might  tell  us  what  we  ought  to  avoid  as  well  as  what  we  may 
do.  I  think  we  may  sometimes  try  to  do  things  which  cannot  be  done 
and  are  disheartened  when  we  ought  to  let  them  alone. 

Scattered  all  over  the  land  are  many  souls  really  rich  in  spiritual 
knowledge  and  experience  who  might  distribute  their  wealth  a  little 
more  freely.  There  is  Professor  Parsons;  1  think  it  would  do  him 
good,  and  I  know  it  would  us,  to  give  an  occasional  lecture  in  his  fa- 
miliar and  interesting  way  upon  moral  and  spiritual  laws.  I  hope  he 
will  not  get  entirely  bound  up  in  —  what  do  they  bind  law  books  with? 
Dr.  Holcombe  gives  us  an  occasional  prescription  beautifully  put  up 
in  rhyme,  but  not  half  as  often  as  would  be  good  for  our  spiritual 
health. 

This  letter  gives  the  family  news: 

-4  177  is-- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

To  Mrs.  Almira  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Sept.  9,  1860. 
I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  Caroline's  sickness.  It  is  a  great  loss  to  have 
the  mother  of  a  large  family  ill,  as  I  know  from  sad  experience.  Emiice 
is  still  confined  to  her  bed  almost  entirely.  Last  week  she  began  to  sit 
up  a  few  minutes  for  the  first  time  since  she  came  home.  It  is  eleven 
weeks  to-night  since  she  became  ill.  I  was  very  much  afraid  she  was 
going  to  leave  me.  She  has  not  suffered  much  pain  —  except  through 
weariness  of  lying  in  bed  so  long.  She  has  kept  up  good  spirits.  If 
she  had  not  been  so  uniformly  cheerful  I  don't  know  how  we  could 
have  managed.  Lucy  has  been  our  housekeeper,  and  a  very  faithful 
and  efficient  one  too.  She  is  a  good  girl,  —  not  perfect  to  be  sure.  She 
knows  how  to  do  all  kinds  of  work  and  she  is  willing  to  do  it.  She  is 
very  patient  and  kind  with  Charlie  (Charles  Henry,  bom  Feb.  3,  1858), 
who  needs  much  attention.  Those  who  have  never  lived  in  a  city  can- 
not tell  how  much  more  labor  it  is  to  take  care  of  a  family  of  children 
than  it  is  in  the  country.  They  cannot  be  let  out  loose.  You  must 
watch  them  all  the  time.  And  then  the  task  of  keeping  them  clean  is 
almost  an  endless  and  hopeless  one. 

Very  numerous  and  varied  were  Mr.  Giles's  "  interests  "  in  all  phases 
of  church  work.  Here  are  extracts  from  a  few  of  the  letters  written  at 
this  time: 

To  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Holcombe 

Cincinnati,  Oct.  27,  1860. 
The  New  Church  papers  are  discussing  the  subject  of  Swedenborg's 
infallibility.  The  interest  in  it  has  to  me  a  great  and  important  sig- 
nificance. The  New  Church  is  to  receive  her  greatest  trial  through  spir- 
itism and  it  seems  proper  that  the  first  onslaught  should  be  made  upon 
Swedenborg.  If  it  can  be  made  out  that  the  New  Church  is  not  the 
Church  after  all,  that  her  doctrines  are  like  all  others,  mere  appear- 
ances of  truth,  to  be  set  aside  when  we  have  progressed  a  little  farther, 
we  are  but  little  better  off  than  the  old  church.  And  there  is  still  the 
widest  room  for  even  those  who  profess  to  be  New  Churchmen  to  build 

-4  178  ^- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

towers  of  Babel  from  their  own  self -derived  intelligence  only  to  find  a 
perpetual  confusion  of  tongues.  My  own  impression  is  that  Sweden- 
borg  is  about  as  final  as  the  multiplication  table  and  geometry.  All 
the  advances  we  make  hereafter  will  not  consist  in  correcting  and  set- 
ting him  aside,  but  in  carrj'ing  out  die  principles  he  has  disclosed  to  us. 
When  I  read  Swedenborg's  scientific  works  I  am  lost  in  wonder  at  the 
greatness  of  the  man.  His  intellectual  strength  and  insight  overawe 
and  almost  crush  me.  I  want  to  eulogize  and  almost  worship  him.  But 
when  I  come  to  his  tlieological  writings  I  do  not  see  the  man  at  all.  It 
is  only  in  the  morning  and  evening  and  in  high  latitudes  that  we  see 
large  shadows.  In  the  full  blaze  of  the  meridian  there  are  none.  Ah, 
how  happy  we  are  to  be  permitted  to  see  these  glories!  How  much  hap- 
pier we  shall  be  if  we  make  them  our  own  by  living  and  loving  them. 

In  tlie  days  preliminary  to  our  Civil  War  many  a  good  patriot  who 
loved  peace  experienced  mental  states  similar  to  those  expressed  in 
this  letter  to  Dr.  Holcombe.  But  after  the  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter 
ideas  were  clarified  and  stood  out  sharply  and  distinctly,  not  only  for 
the  preservation  of  the  Union,  but  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  which 
proved  to  be  inseparable  from  it. 


To  W.  H.  Holcombe,  M.D.,  Waterproof,  La. 

CiNCiN.XATi,  January  3,  1861. 
I  do  not  take  much  interest  in  politics.  I  expect  the  South  will 
secede,  and  I  sincerely  hope  all  the  good  results  you  predict  from  this 
revolution  and  rebellion  may  follow,  and  many  more.  I  think  I  agree 
witli  you  in  many  things  concerning  the  negro  nature,  and  the  bad 
eff^ects  of  abolitionism.  But  judging  from  your  letters  and  your  pam- 
phlet, you  entirely  misunderstood  the  prevalent  feeling  and  opinion  of 
the  North.  And  if  a  man  of  your  intelligence  and,  I  believe,  candor 
can  be  so  deceived,  what  may  we  not  expect  from  those  who  have  never 
breathed  any  air  but  that  of  iheir  state,  and  who  know  little  or  nothing 
of  tlie  Northern  people?  You  take  it  for  granted,  for  instance,  that  I 
am  a  Republican  and  voted  for  Lincohi.  But  I  did  not  like  his  nomi- 
nation and  did  not  vote  for  him.    I  voted  for  Bell  and  Everett.     I  have 

-4  179  )^^- 


THE    LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

never  been  an  anti-slavery  man,  but  long  ago  came  to  conclusions 
somewhat  similar  to  your  opinions  concerning  the  essential  nature  of 
the  African  race  and  its  future  in  the  scale  of  humanity.  And  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  are  no  more  anti-slavery  than  I  am.  They 
have  no  hostility  towards  the  South,  and  care  no  more  about  slavery 
than  the  fish  in  the  Ohio  River  do.  Freedom  is  a  fine  sounding  word 
and  makes  a  grand  rallying  cry  and  bait  to  catch  the  rabble,  and  the 
politicians  have  used  it  very  effectually.  But  if  you  think  the  election 
of  Lincoln  is  a  protest  of  the  North  against  slavery  you  are  greatly 
mistaken.  If  the  Democratic  party  had  not  fallen  to  pieces  from  their 
own  corruption  and  its  members  made  war  upon  one  another,  I  have  no 
idea  that  Lincoln  would  have  been  elected.  How  many  men  do  you  sup- 
pose vote  from  an  intelligent  principle?  I  should  be  delighted  to  know 
that  every  man  who  voted  for  Lincoln  did  vote  from  principle,  whether 
it  was  against  slavery  or  the  North  Pole.  But  while  I  think  Mr.  Lin- 
coln owes  his  election  more  to  the  divisions  in  the  camp  of  the  Democ- 
racy and  from  the  very  general  opinion  that  the  Democratic  party  had 
become  corrupt,  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  sorry  that  he  is  elected. 

You  know  as  well  as  every  well-informed  man  that  the  present  state 
of  affairs  was  not  induced  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  election.  The  South  had 
wanted  to  secede  for  a  long  time.  South  Carolina  was  never  in  the 
Union  at  heart  and  has  always  been  itching  to  get  out  of  it.  The  people 
of  the  South  have  an  idea  that  they  can  get  along  much  better  without 
the  North.  And  I  do  not  think  they  will  ever  be  content  until  they  try 
their  hands  at  a  separate  government.  I  think  now  is  as  good  a  time 
as  any  for  the  trial  and  I  am  willing  they  should  make  it.  If  they  suc- 
ceed according  to  their  expectations  they  will  make  a  grand  thing  of 
it  politically,  and  I  am  sure  I  wish  you  all  the  highest  success. 

But  I  am  tired  of  the  threats  of  disunion.  You  have  cried  "Wolf, 
Wolf,"  long  enough.  So  far  then  we  are  agreed.  But  whether  it  is 
practicable  or  not  I  do  not  know.  One  thing,  however,  seems  clear,  that 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  President  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  United  States. 
He  takes  a  solemn  oath  to  do  it,  and  if  I  were  President  I  should  not 
ask  the  permission  of  South  Carolina  or  any  other  state  to  do  it.  An 
executive  officer  has  nothing  to  do  with  consequences.    The  constitution 

-4  180  ^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

points  out  his  duties,  and  if  we  had  had  a  President  and  not  an  old 
worn-out  political  trickster,  this  whole  matter  would  have  been  settled 
or  in  the  fair  way  of  settlement  long  ago.  Mr.  Buchanan  has  been  in 
the  hands  of  the  Southern  politicians  ever  since  he  came  into  office,  and 
has  been  moulded  as  wax  to  suit  their  purposes. 

While  the  President  ought  to  do  the  duties  pointed  out  by  the  Consti- 
tution, hold  and  defend  all  the  public  property,  and  collect  the  public 
revenues,  still  if  the  Southern  states  desire  to  set  up  a  separate  govern- 
ment I  think  they  ought  to  be  permitted  to  do  it.  But  the  movement 
should  be  mutual.    They  should  not  run  away  and  then  ask  to  go. 

If  you  are  to  go  by  violence  and  rebellion  I  am  glad  that  you  go  now, 
before  you  have  any  real  cause  of  complaint.  Your  movement  will 
stand  out  alone  in  the  history  of  humanity  as  of  one  part  of  a  nation  ris- 
ing up  against  the  general  government  from  anticipated  grievances,  and 
a  government  too  in  which  that  part  has  an  equal  voice  with  all  the 
others.  If  there  .should  be  war  and  fraternal  blood  should  be  shed,  as  it 
now  seems  more  than  probable,  I  cannot  believe  that  the  dispassionate 
decisions  of  die  future  will  be  given  in  your  favor.  But  on  the  con- 
trary, you  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  the  destroyers  of  the  mildest  and 
most  equitable  government  ever  established  among  men.  And  if  you 
succeed  in  establishing  a  Southern  Republic  you  will  stand  alone  among 
the  civilized  and  enlightened  nations  of  the  earth  as  the  upholders  of 
human  bondage. 

What  will  be  I  do  not  pretend  to  know,  but  confidence  in  the  control- 
ling influence  of  the  Divine  Providence  is  so  strong  that  I  know  however 
great  the  apparent  evils  may  be  they  are  only  permitted  to  prevent  still 
greater  ones.  So  I  trust  and  am  willing  to  bide  my  time.  The  country 
seems  now  to  be  given  over  into  the  hands  of  unprincipled  politicians. 
If  the  people  would  speak  their  honest  opinions  without  the  inter- 
vention of  fanatics  and  demagogues  both  in  church  and  state,  and  the 
people  of  the  South  could  hear  them.  I  am  sure  they  would  have  no  sen- 
timents but  those  of  brotherhood  and  kindness,  and  the  most  hearty  dis- 
dain of  every  unwillingness  to  respect  all  their  rights. 

The  treatment  which  Northern  men  have  received  in  the  South,  how- 
ever, is  producing  its  effects.    Tliere  are  many  people  who  feel  as  I  do, 

-"4  181  ^■~ 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

that  it  is  a  shame  to  any  people  to  make  war  upon  women  and  merchants 
from  mere  suspicion,  or  to  attempt  to  tyrannize  over  men's  opinions 
and  dictate  to  them  how  they  shall  vote.  If  that  is  not  a  violation  of  all 
constitutional  rights  and  the  very  essence  of  despotism  over  men's 
minds  I  do  not  know  wliat  is.  The  Constitution  has  been  violated  a 
hundred  times  in  tlie  Soutli  where  it  has  been  once  in  the  North.  But 
I  yet  hope  that  the  madness  of  the  South  and  the  North  may  be  re- 
strained and  that  we  may  treat  each  other  like  gentlemen  and  Christians. 

I  have  written  you  a  long  letter  and  I  am  afraid  you  cannot  read 
it,  for  I  find  I  succeeded  very  poorly  in  copying  the  first  sheet.  I  began 
copying  my  letters  last  year  and  I  propose  to  continue  it,  not  because 
I  suppose  many  of  them  are  worth  preserving,  but  it  is  sometimes  quite 
desirable  to  know  what  one  has  written. 

I  need  not  say  that  I  hope  there  will  be  no  cessation  to  our  corre- 
spondence or  any  seceding  to  our  friendship. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  our  readers  to  learn  how  Dr.  Holcombe,  whom 
many  know  well  through  his  books,  changed  from  a  slaveholder  and 
ardent  adherent  of  the  Confederacy  to  a  firm  allegiance  to  the  United 
States  and  a  subsequent  freeing  of  his  slaves.  Through  the  kindness 
of  Rev.  John  Goddard  I  have  tlie  following: 

To  Rev.  John  Goddard  from  Dr.  Holcombe 

New  Orleans,  La.,  June  5,  1880. 
After  mailing  my  letter  I  concluded  that  I  ought  to  have  said  some- 
thing more  to  you  about  that  method  of  consulting  the  Word,  which 
may  be  a  kind  of  bibliomancy,  and  so  get  your  opinion  about  it.  It  is 
all  very  plain  that  one  should  be  guided  by  one's  rational  faculty  illu- 
minated by  revealed  truths  in  the  conduct  of  life  —  but  there  is  some 
mysterious  living,  answering  power  in  the  Word  to  him  who  believes 
from  love,  that  to  look  to  the  Word  in  great  and  decisive  situations  of 
life  seems  to  me  an  admissible  thing.  My  attention  was  first  called  to  its 
living  power  by  being  occasionally  startled  by  opening  at  verses  pre- 
cisely applicable  to  my  spiritual  state  at  the  time.  Especially  was  this 
the  case  when  I  was  in  great  and  serious  troubles,  driven  almost  to 

-4  182  ^~ 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

despair.  An  incident  occurred  during  the  war  which  made  a  lasting 
impression.  I  was  living  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  during  the  Federal 
occupation;  I  was  one  of  the  original  secessionists  and  a  strong  South- 
em  sympatliizer,  and  of  course  I  was  in  states  of  great  suffering  and 
tribulation  of  all  sorts.  One  day  I  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  extraor- 
dinary excitement.  A  friend  of  mine  had  shot  a  negro  man,  his  slave, 
who  was  attempting  to  escape  to  the  Federals,  wounding  him  severely. 
The  Federals  learning  the  fact,  arrested  my  friend  and  had  him  in 
irons  on  a  gunboat  to  be  tried  for  attempt  to  kill.  I  was  exceedingly 
vexed  with  my  friend,  who  had  manifested  the  worst  features  of  the 
old  slave-holding  spirit  in  shooting  the  slave,  but  I  was  still  more  indig- 
nant with  the  Federals,  who  asserted  jurisdiction  over  the  case  and 
threatened  to  punish  one  crime  by  another  still  more  serious.  That, 
you  know,  was  the  true  Confederate  standpoint.  The  incident  pro- 
duced such  a  storm  in  my  mind  that  I  could  not  attend  to  my  practice, 
and  I  shut  myself  in  my  bedroom  in  an  agony  of  contending  emo- 
tions. I  knew  the  whole  question  turned  upon  slavery,  its  defense  or  its 
overthrow;  which  was  right?  On  a  sudden  I  tliought  of  laying  the 
whole  matter  before  the  Lord  and  praying  for  an  answer  through  His 
Word.  I  knelt  down  and  prayed  as  earnestly  as  I  ever  have  done  in 
my  life,  confessed  my  utter  inability  to  find  the  truth  for  myself,  threw 
all  upon  the  Christ  —  die  Comforter — begged  for  a  word  of  command 
or  advice,  and  solemnly  vowed  to  abide  by  His  answer  forever.  I  tlien 
said  the  Lord's  prayer  with  the  Bible  shut  upon  the  chair  before  me. 
Reverently  I  opened  it  at  random  and  laid  my  finger  on  a  verse.  It 
was  this:  "/s  not  this  the  fast  that  I  have  chosen?  to  loose  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  let  the  oppressed  go 
free,  and  that  ye  break  every  yoke?  "    Isaiah  Iviii.  6. 

A  great  light  and  peace  came  into  my  mind  in  a  moment.  I  let  go  of 
the  selfhood  on  that  question  forever.  I  went  to  my  work  with  a  light 
heart,  and  soon  afterward  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  tlie  United 
States,  and  have  been  the  strongest  imaginable  friend  of  the  freedom 
and  progress  of  the  black  man  ever  since. 

Mr.  Burke,  to  whom  several  letters  are  written,  was  a  prominent  mer- 
chant of  New  Orleans  who  came  to  that  city  from  Maryland.     He  was 

-4  183  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

the  founder  of  its  public  school  system,  president  of  the  Canal  Bank, 
and  a  member  of  the  legislature.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
University  of  Louisiana  and  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts. 

It  was  he  who  furnished  money  which  was  used  in  raising  the  volun- 
teer force  which  went  to  the  relief  of  General  Taylor,  then  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  resulting  in  the  victorious  termination  of  his  command  at 
Buena  Vista.  After  a  political  disappointment  Mr.  Burke  became  a 
New  Churchman  through  reading  the  "  True  Christian  Religion."  He 
was  for  many  years  lay  reader  for  the  New  Orleans  Society. 


From  a  letter  to  Glendy  Burke,  Esq.,  New  Orleans,  from  C.  Giles 

There  is  not  much  excitement  here  of  any  kind.  Everything  moves 
on  about  as  usual,  only  a  little  more  slowly.  You  would  not  imagine 
except  from  the  newspapers  that  we  were  on  the  eve  of  a  revolution. 
I  wish  the  people  at  the  South  could  know  how  the  great  mass  of  the 
people  regard  them.  I  am  sure  they  would  find  nothing  in  their  hearts 
but  the  kindest  feelings  and  a  sincere  disposition  to  give  them  even  and 
exact  justice.  But  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  way  as  yet  for  the 
North  and  Soutli  to  confer  with  each  other  except  through  the  medium 
of  politicians  and  newspapers,  and  I  despair  of  having  the  truth  told 
by  either  of  them.  Most  of  our  politicians  prefer  party  and  self  to 
country  and  the  good  of  the  neighbor.  And  so  I  fear  we  may  go  to 
killing  one  another  through  a  mistaken  idea  of  how  we  regard  each 
other. 

I  think,  however,  the  North  will  not  consent  to  have  the  Union  dis- 
solved by  such  men  as  Toombs,  Yancy,  Wise,  or  by  any  one  else,  with- 
out an  effort  to  save  it.  Tliere  is  a  deep  and  abiding  love  for  our  country 
and  government  throughout  the  North  and  West.  Our  people  are  not 
easily  moved.  They  love  home,  peace,  and  industry,  but  when  they  are 
moved  they  are  steady,  strong,  and  not  easily  stopped.  I  pray  that  their 
energies  may  never  be  directed  to  anything  but  the  arts  of  peace,  for 
the  good  of  the  whole  country. 

I  received  a  long  letter  from  Dr.  Holcombe  some  time  ago,  and  also 
his  pamphlet.  He  entirely  misunderstands  the  feeling  at  the  North,  as 
I  have  told  him  in  a  reply  to  his  letter.     He  seems  to  take  Garrison, 

-4  184  ^~ 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1852-1862 

Wendell  Phillips,  and  Beecher  as  the  exponents  of  Northern  feeling. 
But  nothing  could  be  wider  from  the  truth.  They  have  a  class  of  fol- 
lowers who  make  a  great  noise,  but  who  are  comparatively  small  in 
number  and  influence.  You  see  Garrison  and  Phillips  cannot  get 
a  public  hall  in  which  to  speak  in  Boston,  and  Beecher  was  recently 
egged  in  New  Haven. 

Well,  nations  must  have  their  trials  and  temptations  as  well  as  indi- 
viduals, and  the  same  Being  of  Infinite  Love  and  Wisdom  rules  over 
both.  This  is  my  comfort  and  hope.  The  Lord  never  permits  an  evil 
to  fall  upon  either  which  is  not  for  the  prevention  of  a  greater  evil  or 
in  some  way  an  instrument  of  good. 

How  do  you  get  along  in  your  little  society?  I  love  to  think  of  you; 
and  I  often  do,  as  New  Churchmen  in  your  little  circle.  I  hope  it  is 
increasing  in  numbers  and  true  spiritual  life.  I  cannot  describe  to 
you  how  forcibly  the  winter  brings  back  to  my  recollection  my  visit 
to  New  Orleans  and  all  the  little  incidents  connected  with  it.  Please  to 
remember  me  kindly  to  all  who  inquire  after  me. 

The  following  also  illustrates  well  Mr.  Giles's  attitude  of  mind  in 
the  beginning  ofthe  war,  and  the  gradual  deepening  of  the  decisive 
stand  he  took  for  the  Union. 


To  Mr.  J.  L.  Jewett  from  C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Feb.  27,  1861. 

I  have  Mr. 's  sermon  with  the  request  to  send  it  to  you  with  my 

opinion  about  publishing  it  in  the  Messenger. 

I  think  decidedly  that  it  would  not  be  judicious  to  print  it  now. 
The  sermon  has  many  good  points  but  I  can  see  no  possible  use  in  its 
publication.  It  would  change  nobody's  opinion,  and  the  only  effect 
it  would  have  upon  the  New  Churchmen  in  the  South  would  be  to  sepa- 
rate them  still  more  widely  from  the  New  Churchmen  at  the  North. 
And  that  is  to  be  deplored.  Even  granting  everything  he  says  is  true, 
and  I  cannot  assent  to  it  all,  what  is  the  use  of  saying  it  now?  We  may 
have  many  things  to  say  but  we  have  the  highest  example  for  not  saying 

-  <i  185  )i*  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Uiem  when  men  cannot  bear  them.    "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  imto 
you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now." 

From  a  letter  to  his  mother,  Mrs.  Almira  Giles 

Nothing  but  war  is  talked  about  now.  Our  streets  are  full  of  sol- 
diers, and  there  is  an  encampment  near  the  city  of  sixteen  hundred  men 
and  two  odiers  of  two  or  tliree  thousand.  Almost  every  able-bodied  man 
in  Cincinnati  is  drilling,  and  the  companies  are  procuring  additions  as 
fast  as  they  can.  If  Kentucky  should  secede  Cincinnati  will  become 
very  much  exposed  and  will  be  a  very  important  point,  as  she  would 
be  quite  a  rich  prize  for  the  Southern  rebels.  We  have  no  fear  of  an 
attack  but  we  intend  to  be  prepared.  I  have  no  confidence  in  Kentucky. 
She  will  go  with  the  South  if  she  dares. 

It  is  a  terrible  trial  we  are  called  upon  to  endure,  and  a  most  im- 
portant crisis  in  the  very  life  of  our  nation.  And  I  think  we  shall 
come  out  of  it  nobler  and  stronger  than  ever.  I  am  proud  of  old  Massa- 
chusetts. She  shows  that  she  has  sons  worthy  of  her  sires.  If  her  sol- 
diers fight  as  bravely  as  they  acted  promptly  in  obeying  the  call  of  the 
President,  the  South  will  never  again  sneer  at  her,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
it  will  be  found  that  they  can  shoot  as  well  as  build  ships.  It  is  my 
great  comfort  in  our  hour  of  peril  tliat  we  are  in  the  hands  of  a  Being 
of  Infinite  Love  and  that  He  will  overrule  all  for  our  good. 

Letter  to  Mrs.  Isaac  Knapp 

Cincinnati,  June  1,  1861. 
We  are  full  of  the  war  spirit  here  also.  The  military  costume  is 
about  as  common  as  any  on  the  streets.  Ohio  was  among  the  first  to 
respond  to  the  call  for  volunteers.  But  we  have  an  imbecile  for  a  gov- 
ernor, and  notwithstanding  our  willingness  and  large  promises,  I  fear 
we  shall  be  behind  all  the  states  in  actual  performance.  The  three- 
months'  volunteeers  who  were  at  Camp  Denison  have  been  dismissed, 
and  most  of  them  utterly  refuse  to  enlist  for  three  years.  Indiana  has 
far  surpassed  us  in  actual  accomplishment.  But  Ohio  may  do  some- 
diing  yet. 

-^  186  }->'- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

Am  I  not  proud  of  the  old  Bay  State?  If  she  is  as  great  in  perform- 
ance as  she  has  been  prompt  and  effective  in  preparation  she  will  settle 
the  superiority  of  the  Yankees  beyond  dispute.  After  all,  I  believe  Dr. 
Holmes  is  about  right  and  "  Boston  is  die  Hub  of  the  Universe,"  and 
Massachusetts  a  big  spoke  in  the  wheel.  I  shall  be  greatly  surprised 
and  disappointed  if  New  England  civilization  and  power  do  not  show 
their  immense  superiority  in  every  respect  over  the  South.  Tliis  war 
will  silence  some  boasting  and  settle  some  questions  forever  that  have 
been  long  disputed. 

These  are  times  that  try  men's  pockets  as  well  as  dieir  souls.  Our 
busy  city  is  almost  as  silent  as  the  Sabbath.  Immense  manufactories 
are  entirely  closed.  The  pork  merchant  alone,  it  is  said,  will  lose  a 
million  dollars.  But  so  far  all  classes  seem  to  stand  it  pretty  well. 
There  have  been  very  few  failures  though  our  city  will  probably  suffer 
as  much  as  any  city  in  the  Union. 

I  do  not  wonder  that  you  are  getting  to  be  quite  orthodox.  I  am 
inclined  that  way  myself.  If  the  heathen  could  be  converted  as  sud- 
denly as  some  of  the  secessionists  in  Maryland  were  to  the  Union,  by 
Sherman's  battery,  I  think  we  would  better  call  home  our  missionaries 
and  send  out  our  batteries.  I  am  afraid,  however,  Uiere  is  not  much 
sincerity  in  these  conversions,  and  their  subjects  will  fall  from  grace  at 
a  very  slight  temptation.  The  Enquirer,  a  Democratic,  Douglas,  cor- 
rupt political  paper,  was  converted  in  one  night,  confessed  its  sins  pub- 
licly the  next  morning  and  was  too  furiously  Union  to  be  sincere.  But 
it  shows  an  evident  disposition  to  lapse,  and  it  requires  much  watching 
and  an  occasional  rap  to  keep  it  from  taking  a  violent  "  back-set."  The 
Lord  prosper  the  right. 

The  next  letter  embodies  a  remarkably  prophetic  suggestion. 

To  Mr.  Thomas  S.  Smith 

Cincinnati,  July  7,  1861. 
I  read  the  communication  you  handed  to  me  witli  much  interest. 
We  cannot  tell,  of  course,  what  will  be  the  effect  of  tlie  contest  now  rag- 
ing in  our  country  upon  other  countries,  but  I  can  hardly  doubt  that 

-4  187  ^'~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

it  will  establish  the  great  truth  that  man  can  govern  himself,  and  that 
a  Republican  goveniment  is  the  strongest  in  the  world,  and  the  best 
calculated  to  develop  the  subjects  of  it,  and  make  them  strong,  self- 
reliant  men.  I  have  long  regarded  a  Republican  government  as  a 
school  of  the  nations  which  they  will  have  to  attend.  But  the  ages  move 
slowly  and  it  may  be  a  long  time  before  some  of  them  will  be  prepared 
for  it.  It  is  certainly  not  an  infant  school.  England  may  be  among 
the  first  to  take  the  great  step.    It  would  put  new  life  into  her  masses. 

Your  idea  of  a  Congress  of  Nations  in  which  each  member  would 
seek  the  good  of  all  is  almost  too  good  to  be  true.  But  it  may  be  ulti- 
mated  in  tlie  good  time  coming.  The  principles  of  heavenly  life  will 
continue  to  descend  and  become  more  fully  operative  in  the  govern- 
ments and  in  all  of  the  affairs  of  this  world,  and  there  will  be  peace 
on  earth,  good  will  to  men.  The  Lord  is  always  nearest  to  us  in  temp- 
tation, and  I  have  no  doubt  the  powers  of  the  New  Heavens  are  now 
pressing  upon  the  minds  of  men  and  waking  tliem  up  to  action  in  the 
great  contest  for  human  liberty. 

To  the  Trustees  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Society  of  Cincinnati  from 

C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Aug.  5,  1861. 

Owing  to  the  depression  in  all  departments  of  business  and  the  conse- 
quent financial  embarrassment  of  the  people  generally,  the  Society  may 
find  it  difficult  to  meet  its  ordinary  expenses.  In  view  of  this  state  of 
things  I  will  allow  you  to  reduce  my  salary  twenty  per  cent,  if  in  your 
judgment  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society  requires  it. 

I  hope  you  will  endeavor  to  retain  Mr.  Smith  as  organist  and  leader 
of  the  choir,  for  I  think  much  of  the  interest  and  effect  of  our  worship 
depends  upon  him. 

To  Mrs.  Knapp  from  C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Oct.  4,  1861. 
Yours  of  Sept.  29lh  was  received  yesterday,  and  according  to  your 
request  I  answer  immediately.    I  went  to  see  our  Collector  to-day,  who 

-'4  188  ^'~ 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

has  the  supervision  of  all  persons  and  things  going  South  from  Cin- 
cinnati, and  he  says  the  only  way  to  get  there  is  in  a  private  carriage. 
There  is  no  railroad  or  steamboat  communication.  A  traveler  would 
have  to  pass  through  the  lines  of  the  armies  and  might  meet  with  some 
inconvenience,  but  it  probably  could  be  done  if  he  could  satisfy  the 
general  that  he  would  furnish  no  intelligence  that  would  be  of  service 
to  the  enemy. 

What  the  state  of  things  may  be  in  a  week  or  a  day  we  cannot  tell. 
Troops  are  rapidly  pouring  into  Kentucky  from  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Illinois.  Three  regiments  went  through  our  city  to-day,  and  we  are 
expecting  thirty  during  the  week.  Many  of  our  people  are  afraid  that 
Cincinnati  will  be  attacked,  and  if  we  should  be  defeated  Kentucky  will 
no  doubt  secede.  We  are  fortifying  the  hills  around  us  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  but  not  half  is  doing  that  should  be  done.  Nothing  but 
the  thunder  of  the  enemies  serves  thoroughly  to  arouse  our  people  and 
then  it  may  be  too  late.  If  your  friend  will  come  to  Cincinnati  I 
will  do  everything  in  ray  power  to  assist  her  in  getting  safely  through 
the  lines. 

From  another  letter  to  the  same  sister  we  read  the  following: 

You  see  our  old  scholars  are  serving  their  country.  Nearly  all  the 
young  men  of  our  society  have  enlisted. 

The  oilier  day  I  attended  llie  funeral  of  a  young  man  who  was  a 
lieutenant.  He  died  in  Virginia  of  fever,  and  his  poor  wife  did  not 
know  of  his  sickness  until  his  body  was  brought  home  to  the  city.  She 
was  almost  beside  herself  with  grief  and  I  fear  will  soon  follow  her 
husband  to  the  spiritual  world.  His  funeral  was  one  of  the  saddest 
I  ever  attended.  When  I  thought  how  many  widows  and  orphans,  bow 
many  bereaved  hearts  and  sad  homes  this  war  will  cause,  I  felt  more 
like  cursing  its  authors  than  I  ever  did  before.  If  all  the  tears  of  the 
widows  and  orphans  were  changed  to  molten  iron  and  were  to  fall 
drop  by  drop  in  a  fiery  shower  upon  their  naked  backs  it  would  not  be 
a  punishment  equal  to  the  enormity  of  tlieir  guilt.  But  they  will  get 
their  (hie.  The  South  is  doomed;  I  can  see  no  escape  from  it.  Even 
if  the  war  should  cease  now  and  their  independence  should  be  declared 

-•«(  189  ^ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

it  would  not  save  them.  The  prestige  of  the  slave  power  is  broken. 
Cotton  may  live  and  long  be  an  important  element  in  human  industry 
and  commercial  exchange,  but  it  is  no  longer  king.  It  may  prove  a 
good  subject,  but  it  has  been  a  very  poor  and  despotic  king.  But  enough 
of  this. 

Letter  from  0.  Prescott  Hiller  to  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles 

Glasgow,  Oct.  24,  1861. 

It  would  give  me  much  pleasure  to  hear  how  you  and  my  old  society 
are  getting  on  together.  These  troublous  times  have  no  doubt  affected 
the  New  Church  people  as  well  as  other  citizens  of  our  distressed 
country. 

I  see  an  American  paper  every  week,  so  that  I  am  pretty  well  in- 
formed as  to  the  general  course  of  the  war.  I  have  no  doubt  it  will 
result  in  good,  however  trying  it  may  be  at  present.  It  is  but  the  coming 
to  a  head  of  an  old  disease;  the  system  will  be  healthier  afterwards. 
After  a  severe  punishment  such  as  the  South  will  I  doubt  not  in  the  end 
receive  they  will  learn  to  respect  the  North  and  better  feeling  will 
arise.  On  the  other  hand,  the  North  will  get  cured  of  its  unhealthy 
and  violent  abolition  sentiment  which  was  so  great  a  cause  of  disturb- 
ance to  the  South. 

I  hope  the  University  (Urbana)  still  keeps  on  the  even  tenor  of  its 
way  in  spite  of  the  unfavorable  times.  You  are  no  doubt  still  the  pres- 
ident. I  should  be  glad  to  be  informed  as  to  its  present  condition.  I 
know  there  have  been  great  changes.  In  particular  I  have  been  expect- 
ing to  receive  information  as  to  the  results  of  the  competition  for  the 
elocution  prizes  which  I  offered.  I  should  like  to  be  informed  of  the 
names  of  the  successful  speakers  and  whether  the  project  has  been  well 
received  and  is  likely  to  be  useful. 

You  have  probably  not  yet  heard  that  I  have  been  lately  called  to 
London  to  fill  Mr.  Noble's  pulpit,  that  of  the  Cross  Street  Society.  I 
have  accepted  the  call  and  enter  upon  my  duties  at  the  new  year.  It  is 
a  responsible  position.  Mr.  Bruce,  the  last  minister,  has  lieen  obliged 
to  resign  from  an  affection  of  the  throat.  Mr.  Warren  is  filling  the 
place  temporarily.     I  have  served  the  Glasgow  Society  faithfully  for 

-4  190  ^'- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1852-1862 

fourteen  years  and  it  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition.     The  Cross 
Street  Society,  on  the  other  hand,  is  in  rather  a  languishing  state.     I 
hope  to  put  some  new  life  into  it  with  the  Lord's  aid  and  blessing. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  soon. 

To  Rev.  0.  Prescott  Hiller  from  C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Nov.  18,  1861. 

Your  favor  of  the  24th  of  October  and  also  one  of  a  previous  date 
came  duly  to  hand.  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  intended  to 
answer  your  first  letter  long  before  this,  but  we  have  been  in  such  a  state 
of  excitement  and  constant  expectation  of  some  great  event  that  we  can 
do  nothing  but  attend  to  the  passing  duties  of  the  moment. 

The  war  has  sadly  interfered  with  our  plans.  We  purchased  a  lot 
and  adopted  a  plan  for  a  new  temple.  We  had  chosen  our  building 
committee  witli  full  powers  to  act,  on  the  Wednesday  evening  previous 
to  the  attack  on  Sumter.  When  I  went  home  from  the  meeting  I  con- 
fidently expected  the  ground  would  be  broken  for  the  building  the  next 
week.  But  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  made  everything  so  uncertain 
that  we  thought  best  to  await  the  issue  of  events,  hoping  tilings 
would  take  a  more  favorable  tuni  in  a  few  weeks.  But  we  finally 
concluded  to  abandon  the  project  entirely  for  the  present;  and  so  we 
are  still  in  the  old  temple  and  expect  to  remain  tliere  for  an  indefinite 
period. 

Our  society  has  suffered  very  much  by  large  removals  into  the  country, 
and  I  do  not  think  the  attendance  is  quite  as  large  as  it  was  a  year  ago, 
though  we  always  find  many  strangers  present  at  our  morning  service. 
Two  societies  have  been  formed  of  members  who  have  moved  from  the 
city:  one  at  Glendale  and  one  at  Hebron.  They  have  built  a  beautiful 
little  temple  at  Glendale  and  Mr.  Stuart  preaches  there.  I  believe 
nearly  every  member  of  both  societies  formerly  belonged  to  us.  At 
Hebron  there  is  a  Sabbath  school  of  about  fifty  scholars  and  regular 
worship  in  a  schoolhouse  every  Sabbatli,  bul  no  minister. 

At  present  there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  life  and  energy  in  our 
society.    The  old  men  who  were  the  working  members  in  your  day  have 

-4  191  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

moved  away  or  died,  or  ceased  to  take  an  active  part,  and  there  are  not 
any  young  men  to  take  their  places.  Not  many  of  the  sons  of  the  older 
members  have  come  externally  into  the  church. 

Mr. is  the  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school,  which  is  large 

and  prosperous.  I  have  a  class  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  young  people 
tliat  I  hear  every  Sabbath  morning.  We  have  gone  regularly  through 
tlie  Heavenly  Doctrines  and  the  class  is  quite  interesting.  I  hear  my 
class  in  the  morning  and  preach,  and  lecture  in  the  evening.  I  also 
deliver  a  lecture  on  Wednesday  evening.  These  with  my  other  duties, 
you  will  see,  must  keep  me  quite  busy.  My  wife  has  been  very  unwell 
during  the  last  two  years,  and  I  had  an  attack  of  nervous  fever  in  the 
spring,  but  I  am  quite  well  now. 

Many  of  our  young  men  are  in  the  army  and  the  war  is  the  all- 
absorbing  topic  of  interest.  We  are  just  now  rejoicing  at  the  success 
of  our  fleet  in  taking  Port  Royal  and  the  capture  of  Mason  and  Slidell. 
The  people  of  the  North  are  perfectly  confident  of  success.  Wlien  the 
war  began  we  were  stripped  of  everything.  We  had  no  army;  our  little 
navy  was  scattered  to  the  four  winds.  All  our  arms  had  been  sent 
South,  and  all  the  money  the  Southerners  could  lay  their  hands  upon 
had  been  stolen.  The  officers  in  the  army  and  navy  had  become  cor- 
rupted, and  all  the  governmental  affairs  at  Washington  were  in  a  state 
of  utter  confusion  and  demoralization.  The  rebels  had  managed  to 
place  their  own  tools  in  the  forts.  North  as  well  as  South.  It  was  a 
mere  matter  of  accident,  as  most  men  would  call  it,  that  Fortress 
Monroe,  Fort  McHenry  in  Baltimore,  and  even  West  Point,  were  not 
in  the  command  of  traitors. 

The  plans  of  the  rebels  were  laid  with  the  most  consummate  skill 
and  shrewdness,  and  we  only  wonder  that  they  have  not  succeeded 
better.  But  things  are  somewhat  changed  now.  We  have  an  army  of 
nearly  half  a  million  men,  the  most  of  them  well  drilled  and  armed 
with  effective  weapons.  We  are  beginning  to  have  a  navy  adapted  to 
service  on  the  Southern  coast.  Both  army  and  navy  will  soon  be  well 
equipped  in  every  respect;  we  are  nearly  ready  —  just  beginning  to 
learn  our  strength  and  to  get  the  means  of  putting  it  forth,  and  I  think 
we  shall  soon  show  the  world  that  our  Republic  is  not  dead. 

-4. 192  }§^~ 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1852-1862 
To  his  mother,  Jan.  19,  1862,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

We  are  compelled  to  manage  very  economically  this  winter.  Our 
Society  has  cut  my  salary  down  more  than  one  quarter,  and  living  is 
about  as  dear  as  ever,  so  we  have  to  look  very  sharply  after  the  dimes. 
I  have  never  found  so  much  difficulty  in  making  income  and  expenses 
meet.  I  am  ready  to  hear  my  part  of  the  burden  of  this  terrible  war. 
I  am  too  old  to  fight  and  I  have  none  to  send,  but  I  am  willing  to  do 
what  I  can. 

In  a  letter  to  Rev.  J.  R.  Hibbard,  Cincinnati,  April  10,  1862,  speak- 
ing of  the  Messenger,  Mr.  Giles  says: 

I  do  not  think  a  weekly  journal  of  the  Clmrch  should  be  so  strictly 
ecclesiastical  or  abstractly  spiritual  that  it  cannot  notice  current  events. 
On  the  contrary,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  one  of  its  special  duties.  I  would 
have  it  comment  on  events  and  books  in  the  light  of  spiritual  truth.  The 
longer  I  live  the  more  I  am  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  the  general 
teaching  in  the  New  Church  is  too  much  in  the  abstract.  We  do  not 
come  into  ultimates  sufficiently,  in  which  all  power  resides  and  must  be 
exerted. 

The  Messenger  has  kept  itself  almost  criminally  aloof  from  a  word 
of  sympathy  or  any  expression  of  interest  in  this  terrible  crisis  of  our 
national  life.  I  think  it  ought  to  have  done  all  it  could  to  sustain  the 
members  of  the  Church  in  this  trying  hour.  Spiritual  things  are  clothed 
with  natural  in  this  world. 

I  have  no  belief  in  the  method  of  teaching  truth  that  begins  and  ends 
with  the  generalities  that  we  must  shun  evils  and  do  good.  What  evils 
shall  we  shun,  what  good  shall  we  do?  Here  are  themes  for  discourses 
and  illustration  in  endless  variety.  I  must  do  good  to  the  neighbor, 
but  llic  country  is  more  the  neighbor  than  the  individual,  and  cannot 
1  express  a  word  of  sympathy  for  her  when  she  is  in  the  clutches  of 
demons  and  is  struggling  for  her  very  existence?  I  have  done  it. 
I  have  told  my  own  society  what  I  thought  the  country  demanded  of 
them,  and  have  tried  to  sustain  them  in  performing  the  duties  I  have 
pointed  out.     I  l)elieve  the  New  Church  has  a  great  work  to  do:  not  in 

-4  193  )3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

compromises  nor  concessions  nor  palliations,  nor  hiding  in  cold  ab- 
stractions, nor  in  crying  brother  to  Satan  in  whatever  questionable 
shape  he  may  come  to  us,  but  in  teaching  the  true  laws  of  charity 
towards  the  evil  as  well  as  the  good,  towards  the  negro  as  well  as  the 
white  man,  tlie  state  as  well  as  the  church.  I  have  been  a  good  deal 
exercised  in  my  mind  this  winter  on  some  subjects,  and  if  I  live  I  mean 
to  have  the  Church  learn  what  they  are.  Many  of  our  people  speak  of 
the  Messenger  with  the  utmost  contempt  for  its  utter  silence  on  all  ques- 
tions relating  to  tlie  present  crisis.  Though  I  do  not  agree  with  them  in 
many  respects,  for  I  think  it  has  some  most  excellent  qualities,  and  I 
have  been  opposed,  as  you  know,  to  die  discussion  of  topics  which  at 
that  time  seemed  to  me  could  be  productive  of  no  good,  yet  I  maintain 
it  is  the  duty  of  every  one  who  has  any  influence  to  exert  it  on  the  side 
of  liberty  and  right.  The  minister  and  the  Church  have  their  appro- 
priate duties  to  perform,  and  there  is  no  excuse  for  neglecting  them. 

I  delivered  a  discourse  to-day  (for  it  is  now  Sabbatli  evening)  on 
"  The  Divine  Providence  in  Victories  and  the  Grounds  for  Praise  to  the 
Lord  for  our  Late  Victories." 


-4  194  }§e... 


w. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

Cincinnati  Pastorate,  1862-1864 

To  Mrs.  Isaac  Knapp  {Rowena  Lakey)  from  C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  April  3,  1862. 


E  have  been  honored  with  the  arrival  of  a  distinguished  visitor. 
He  arrived  this  morning  about  twelve  o'clock.  I  have  not  yet  been  able 
to  learn  his  name,  but  he  is  a  fine  looking  gentleman  having  dark  hair 
and  the  customary  blue  eyes  [eyes  which  afterward  proved  to  be  black]. 
He  has  not  said  much  yet  but  seems  quite  inclined  to  sleep.  Has  a 
large  head,  good  voice,  for  though  inclined  to  be  taciturn,  he  has  given 
us  a  few  specimens  of  its  quality.  He  is  a  little  above  the  ordinary  size 
and  makes  himself  very  much  at  home.  From  present  indications  he 
will  take  up  his  abode  with  us.  I  think  he  will  resemble  our  dear  angel 
Eddie,  and  if  he  does  he  will  be  doubly  dear.  Though  we  have  been 
expecting  him  for  some  time  he  came  finally  almost  unannounced,  and 
it  required  tlie  utmost  expedition  to  get  tlie  proper  persons  present  to 
receive  him.  He  is  evidently  a  "fast"  character,  having  arrived  so 
early  in  the  morning  and  performed  various  feats  which  I  cannot  de- 
scribe, but  which  indicate  a  wide-awake  disposition  and  great  energy  of 
character. 

Eunice  is  quite  as  well  as  could  be  expected  under  the  circumstances 
and  has  had  a  very  comfortable  day. 

Carrie  is  almost  crazy  with  delight  and  is  amazingly  puzzled  with  the 
old  mystery  of  childhood  when  the  doctor  procures  a  baby.  Lucy  did 
want  a  sister,  but  "  never  mind,  a  boy  is  better  than  nothing."  But  the 
doctor  says,  "  Can't  afford  to  have  girls  this  year;  we  need  men."  And 
Eunice  and  I  are  content  with  what  the  good  Father  has  sent  us. 

The  funerals  in  Cincinnati  were  many,  and  numerous  also  were  the 
opportunities  for  consolation  to  the  bereaved  friends.  My  father's 
heart  went  out  in  loving  sympathy  to  all  who  mourned,  and  in  the  fol- 

-4  195  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

lowing  especially  difficult  case  he  did  what  he  could  to  mitigate  the 
mourner's  grief: 

To  a  Gentleman  ivhose  Wife  had  committed  Suicide 

Cincinnati.  June  19,  1862. 

I  was  much  surprised  and  grieved  at  the  sad  intelligence  contained  in 
your  letter  and  I  sympathize  with  you  deeply  in  your  sorrow.  It  is 
a  great  affliction  under  any  circumstances  to  be  separated  from  the 
partner  of  life  by  death,  but  doubly  so  under  those  you  mention.  If 
I  understand  your  inquiries,  you  desire  to  know  the  probable  effects 
of  such  an  end  upon  her  spiritual  state.  Of  course  no  one  can  tell  cer- 
tainly, but  we  know  our  future  state  is  not  determined  by  any  sudden 
changes  or  single  acts  but  by  the  whole  tenor  of  life.  The  mind  and 
body  are  so  intimately  related  that  in  disease  any  hereditary  tendency 
to  insanity  might  be  excited  and  the  balance  of  reason  lost  during  the 
unnatural  excitement,  and  in  that  state  there  could  be  no  accountability. 
I  suppose  evil  spirits  are  present  with  us  all,  ready  to  take  advantage  of 
weakness  or  disease  to  urge  us  to  destruction.  But  it  is  not  by  any 
exceptional  acts  that  our  lot  will  be  determined,  but  by  the  hold  which 
spiritual  goodness  and  truth  have  gained  upon  the  life. 

Judging  by  this  principle  I  do  not  see  that  you  have  any  cause  to 
fear  for  her  future  happiness.  The  Divine  permissions  and  providence 
were  over  her  in  the  last  hour  of  her  earthly  life,  and  great  as  the 
evil  seems,  it  was  permitted  to  prevent  a  greater. 

It  was  the  best  time  for  her  to  pass  on  to  the  spiritual  world  and  what- 
ever may  be  our  reasonings  we  must  leave  the  event  in  His  hands,  know- 
ing that  He  doeth  all  things  well. 

On  the  i4th  of  July,  in  search  of  a  much  needed  rest,  Mr.  Giles  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  from  Mr.  Thomas  Hitchcock  to  visit  his  family  at 
Newport,  R.  I. 

Although  he  was  a  native  of  New  England,  my  father's  home  in 
western  Massachusetts  had  given  him  no  experience  of  the  sea,  so 
that  his  descriptions  voice  a  novel  experience  both  to  himself  and  his 
family,  which  lived  so  far  inland.  During  this  visit  of  rest  Mr.  Giles 
preached  in  Providence,  Boston,  and  Waltham,  and  attended  the  Maine 

-•^  196  }§«■•- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

Association  in  Portland,  going  thither  in  Professor  Parsons'  yacht.  He 
preached  in  New  York  City,  and  it  may  be  that  the  favorable  impression 
he  then  made  led  to  his  subsequent  call  from  the  New  York  society. 
He  returned  to  Cincinnati,  August  31st. 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  Husband 

You  see  that  I  have  safely  arrived  in  Newport.  On  my  way  here 
we  passed  the  Great  Eastern  and  I  had  a  glimpse  of  her  as  we  went 
by.  She  was  surrounded  by  mail  boats  and  steam  tugs  which  looked 
like  miniature  vessels  in  comparison.  The  boat  we  came  in  is  the  most 
magnificent  one  I  ever  saw.  She  was  crowded  with  passengers  and 
everything  was  conducted  like  perfect  clockwork.  I  think  there  has 
been  a  great  improvement  in  the  methods  of  travel,  or  rather  in  some  of 
its  accessories.  Everything  moves  on  more  quietly.  One  is  not  be- 
sieged by  such  crowds  of  rowdy  men.  Perhaps  the  rough  element  has 
been  somewhat  absorbed  in  the  war.  Everything  seems  to  be  systema- 
tized and  all  prices  are  fixed,  so  that  you  have  not  so  much  fear  of 
being  cheated. 

Mr.  H has  a  fine  house  on  the  coast.    From  my  window  I  can  look 

out  over  the  broad  ocean  and  see  the  waves  come  tumbling  in  upon  the 
shore.  I  have  taken  a  long  walk  this  morning  along  the  beach.  Rhode 
Island  has  an  excellent  law  that  the  seacoast  shall  be  kept  open  to  all 
citizens.  There  is  consequently  a  good  walk  by  the  sea  past  all  the 
beautiful  residences.  I  need  not  say  that  I  enjoyed  it  much,  sniffing 
the  sea  breeze  and  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  the  ocean. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  has  written  for  Professor  Parsons  and  his  wife  to 
come  here  next  week,  though  he  says  he  does  not  much  think  he  will 
come,  for  he  never  leaves  home  if  he  can  help  it. 

We  met  George  Bancroft  on  horseback,  and  a  most  ridiculous  figure 
he  cut.  He  had  a  high  shirt  collar  into  which  his  face  seemed  to  settle; 
a  high  stovepipe  hat  towered  above  his  head,  his  garments  seemed  to  fit 
rather  loosely  upon  him  and  to  be  shaking  in  the  wind;  his  knees  were 
drawn  up  and  his  body  bent  forward  as  though  they  desired  to  make 
each  other's  intimate  acquaintance;  his  feet  were  thrust  full  into  his 
stirrups  and  his  horse  jogged  on  in  a  hard  trot,  and  he  wont  pounding 

-'*■{  197  }<*■- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

along  as  though  he  had  surrendered  himself  to  the  motions  of  the  horse. 
I  was  about  to  exclaim  at  the  singular  figure  of  the  old  man  and  to 
remark  that  some  antediluvian  must  have  made  his  escape  from  the 
shades  when  Mrs.  H.  said  it  was  Mr.  Bancroft.  He  has  a  beautiful 
place  here. 

It  is  oppressively  still.  Almost  the  only  sound  is  caused  by  two  or 
three  flies  buzzing  against  the  windows  and  the  sighing  of  the  wind 
tlirough  the  casement,  and  the  occasional  note  of  the  meadow  lark.  It 
seems  difficult  to  conceive  that  we  are  in  the  midst  of  a  civil  war  and  I 
am  glad  to  forget  it  for  a  few  days,  and  I  hope  to  get  strength  enough 
to  do  and  bear  all  that  the  Divine  Providence  may  permit  in  the  future. 

Carrie  must  write  to  me  and  Charlie  must  tell  you  what  to  write. 
Kiss  die  dear  little  Fat  for  me. 

The  paper  received  this  morning  says  Morgan  has  taken  Cynthiana. 
This  is  surely  bringing  the  war  quite  near  to  you,  —  so  near  that  I 
don't  know  but  I  ought  to  be  at  home  rather  than  here.  But  I  cannot 
conceive  it  possible  that  they  will  allow  him  to  come  to  Cincinnati.  If 
you  were  at  all  timid  I  should  feel  sadly  to  be  here  while  war  was  so 
near  you,  but  I  know  you  are  not.  I  would  not  have  come  here  and 
would  not  now  remain  a  moment  if  I  did  not  think  I  could  do  more 
good  to  my  family,  my  coimtry,  and  the  Church  by  so  doing  than  I 
could  by  remaining  at  home.  But  if  you  feel  that  you  need  me  you  can 
telegraph  and  I  will  come  immediately. 

The  papers  say  that  Morgan  has  gone  back  to  Tennessee.  I  was  in 
hopes  he  would  be  captured.    I  think  his  raid  will  do  good. 

I  hope  I  shall  never  be  called  in  the  Divine  Providence  to  be  absent 
from  my  family  for  very  long,  for  I  daily  feel  more  and  more  how 
intimately  my  life  is  bound  up  with  them.  The  rest  is  doing  me  good. 
You  do  not  know  how  great  a  mental  strain  has  been  upon  me.  I  had 
come  into  a  state  in  which  it  seemed  impossible  for  me  to  write  another 
sermon,  and  I  wanted  what  it  seems  to  me  the  Divine  Providence  has 
prepared,  —  a  cool  and  quiet  place  in  which  to  lie  fallow  for  a  while 
and  let  my  brain  sleep.  And  I  am  not  trying  to  think  or  do  anything 
but  breathe  the  invigorating  air  and  dream.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  I 
shall  come  home  with  new  life  and  energy. 

-4  198  ^^ 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1862-1864 

After  telling  of  novel  reading  and  games  he  says: 

This  life  seems  to  me  more  like  life  in  the  land  of  the  Lotus  Eaters 
than  any  I  have  seen.  To-day  we  are  going  down  to  see  the  people 
bathe  and  this  afternoon  I  am  going  to  Providence  and  shall  preach 
there  to-morrow.  I  must  do  something  to  keep  my  hand  in.  I  intend 
to  come  back  Monday,  and  Professor  Parsons  and  his  wife  are  expected 
to-night. 


'o' 


Arrived  in  Providence  he  says: 

I  find  it  a  very  pleasant,  neat,  and  thrifty  city,  though  they  say  I  have 
not  seen  the  finest  part  of  it  yet. 

We  came  home  to  tea  and  after  a  while  several  of  the  New  Church 
people  came  in  and  spent  the  evening.  They  selected  the  chants  and 
sang  them  and  after  they  went  away  we  chatted  until  almost  twelve 
o'clock. 

I  had  a  very  nice  room  and  a  very  nice  bed,  but  somehow  I  could 
not  sleep.  Perhaps  it  was  because  everything  was  so  neat.  After  living 
in  Cincinnati  it  seems  almost  miraculous  to  see  how  neat  and  clean  and 
white  everything  is.  The  caqiets,  paint,  curtains,  linen,  and  even  the 
very  atmosphere  seem  to  be  bleached  and  destitute  of  the  least  particle 
of  dust.    It  must  be  the  paradise  of  housekeepers. 

They  have  a  very  nice  little  church,  about  as  large  as  the  one  in  Glen- 
dale.  It  was  well  filled  this  morning  witli  very  intelligent  looking 
people.  I  don't  know  when  I  have  seen  finer  faces  in  an  audience  of  the 
same  size.  After  service  I  was  introduced  to  a  number  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  and  the  service  was  very  pleasant  to  me.  I  am  glad  I 
came.  I  shall  make  some  very  agreeable  acquaintances  and  then  I  trust 
I  shall  feel  as  though  I  had  donr  something  to-day  not  entirely  useless. 

Letter  to  his  Wife 

Newport,  July  31,  1862. 
Professor   Parsons  and   his   wife   from   Cambridge   are   here,   and 
there  is  no  lack  of  fun  and  converse  upon  the  profoundest  truths  of 
science,  philosophy,  and   religion.     From  my  window  I  can  see  the 

-%\  199  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

ocean  stretching  away  tlirougli  lialf  the  horizon;  and  the  roar  of  the 
waves  drowns  from  mind  and  body  the  roar  of  the  world. 

I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Worcester  yesterday  giving  me  a  very  cor- 
dial invitation  to  visit  him  and  make  his  house  my  home  while  I  remain 
in  Boston,  and  asking  me  to  preach  for  him. 

In  a  letter  written  from  Cambridge  at  the  home  of  Professor  Parsons 
Mr.  Giles  says: 

Hardly  anything  is  talked  about  here  but  the  war  and  Massachusetts 
is  fast  filling  up  her  quota  of  men.  Everybody  that  I  have  seen  is 
glad  that  the  President  has  ordered  a  draft  for  three  hundred  thousand 
more.  Now  all  think  the  war  will  end  soon,  and  I  hope  it  will.  We 
see  soldiers  everywhere  getting  ready  to  go  away.  In  the  navy  yard 
men  are  building  gunboats.  Day  before  yesterday  I  saw  a  very  large 
and  beautiful  one  going  to  sea  to  make  her  trial  trip. 

Professor  Parsons  is  as  full  of  knowledge  as  the  nut  is  of  meat,  and 
he  is  opening  his  treasures  to  me  very  freely  and  I  am  going  to  profit 
by  their  richness.  I  am  satisfied  my  visit  is  to  be  of  immense  advan- 
tage to  me  intellectually  as  well  as  physically.  I  shall  get  a  new  stock 
of  materials  to  work  into  sermons  and  perhaps  something  else. 

Mr.  Parsons  has  a  yacht,  and  we  are  going  to  take  a  sail  to-day  out 
in  the  bay.  He  has  invited  Professor  Sophocles,  a  Greek,  and  some 
others  to  go  with  us  and  we  hope  to  have  a  pleasant  time.  We  expect 
to  get  back  some  time  to-night. 

I  sometimes  feel  as  though  I  ought  not  to  be  here  in  such  an  exciting 
and  troublous  time,  but  perhaps  I  can  do  more  for  my  country  and 
humanity  by  resting  than  I  could  if  I  were  at  home  or  in  the  army. 
I  cannot  sleep  yet.  My  brain  will  not  go  quietly  to  rest.  I  roll  and 
toss  about  the  bed  all  night.  Professor  Parsons  thinks  a  voyage  at  sea 
would  do  me  good,  especially  if  it  should  make  me  sick,  and  I  believe 
the  plan  now  is  to  take  a  trip  to  Portland  in  his  yacht.  But  this  is  not 
fully  determined  upon. 

The  cruise  to  Portland  took  place  and  Mr.  Giles  thus  describes  it: 

We  sailed  from  Boston  about  twelve  o'clock  on  Monday  morning, 
having  laid  in  a  good  stock  of  provisions  so  that  we  might  have  some- 

-4  200  ^'- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

thing  to  eat  if  we  should  be  blown  out  to  sea  and  days  should  elapse 
before  we  could  get  back.  We  had  a  brisk  wind  which  drove  us  along 
at  a  very  pleasant  rate.  When  night  came  the  moonlight  was  beau- 
tiful and  I  enjoyed  it  much,  as  being  my  first  night  on  the  ocean. 
About  ten  o'clock  we  all  turned  in  but  the  Captain,  who  steered  the 
boat,  and  we  had  a  pretty  comfortable  sleep.  About  twelve  o'clock 
the  Captain  went  to  bed  and  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  knew  how  to 
manage  the  yacht  got  up  and  took  charge  of  her.  When  we  rose  in 
the  morning  there  was  no  wind  and  the  sea  was  as  smooth  as  glass. 
Mr.  Ager  and  I  took  the  little  boat  and  rowed  away  from  the  yacht 
some  distance,  perhaps  a  mile.  When  we  were  tired  we  waited  for  the 
yacht  to  come  up  and  we  got  on  board.  Mr.  Ager  wanted  to  go  again, 
but  the  Captain  told  him  there  would  soon  be  a  good  breeze,  but  we 
could  not  see  it.  It  came,  however,  in  a  short  time,  and  the  yacht  began 
to  rush  through  the  water  at  first-rate  speed,  and  before  we  got  into 
Portland  the  wind  blew  so  hard  that  the  Captain  said  he  had  more  than 
he  wanted.  When  we  were  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  Portland  we  saw 
a  man  in  a  little  boat  fishing  for  rock  codfish,  and  we  saw  him  pull  out 
two  while  we  were  going  by  him.  We  hove  to,  and  one  of  the  gentle- 
men went  to  the  fisherman  in  a  small  boat  and  bought  three  large 
codfish  for  twenty-five  cents.  Cheap  enough!  I  thought.  After  we  an- 
chored at  Portland  the  Captain  made  a  chowder  of  them  for  our  din- 
ner. I  don't  know  when  anything  has  given  me  more  pleasure  than 
this  sail.  I  went  out  from  Portland  twice  afterwards,  cruising  among 
the  islands  with  which  Casco  Bay  is  filled.  In  about  two  hours  I  ex- 
pect to  leave  Newport,  where  I  now  am,  for  New  York,  and  next  week 
I  expect  to  be  at  home. 

On  August  25  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  feel  now  that  all  I  came  for  has  been  accomplished.  I  have  had 
a  good  rest  and  a  good  time.  My  friends  say  I  am  looking  ver\'  well 
and  very  black.  Did  you  suppose  it  possible  for  me  to  tan?  I  diink 
I  am  some  shades  darker  than  I  was  when  I  left  home,  and  I  feel  many 
degrees  better.    I  hope  the  weather  continues  cool  with  you. 

-4  201  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

In  the  autumn  Mr.  Giles  went  to  Chicago  to  assist  in  the  dedication 
of  the  new  temple  for  the  Chicago  society.  His  home  letter  describes 
his  first  appearance  in  a  clergyman's  robe. 

Chicago,  Nov.  17,  1862. 

Yesterday's  service  was  very  interesting  and  everything  passed  off 
very  satisfactorily,  I  believe.  Our  New  Church  friends  have  completed 
a  very  neat  and  commodious  house  and  I  am  quite  sure  they  will  enjoy 
it.  I  wish  all  of  our  people  could  have  been  here.  I  think  the  contrast 
between  this  and  ours  would  stimulate  them  to  go  ahead  with  the  new 
church. 

Mr.  Hibbard  had  made  all  preparations  to  wear  a  robe,  and  as  I  was 
to  assist  him  in  the  dedication  I  could  not  refuse  to  do  likewise.  He 
had  borrowed  one  from  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  It  was  simply  the 
white  linen  gown.  I  read  most  of  the  service,  and  Mr.  H.  preached 
the  sermon  while  I  sat  in  state  in  one  of  the  chairs.  I  thought  it 
would  seem  bigoted  and  like  giving  too  much  importance  to  the  dress 
question  to  refuse  to  encourage  Mr.  Hibbard  in  a  step  which  he  has 
contemplated  so  long  and  with  so  much  interest. 

I  think,  however,  I  need  a  little  practice  to  wear  a  robe  gracefully  and 
to  feel  entirely  at  ease  in  it.  The  one  I  wore  was  too  long  for  me,  but 
I  did  not  tumble  down  or  do  any  very  awkward  thing. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  the  New  Church  will  eventually  adopt  the  prac- 
tice very  generally  and  I  think  it  will  be  a  good  thing  for  minister  and 
people,  and  I  have  always  said  so.  But  the  adoption  of  any  of  those 
externals  not  prescribed  by  the  Doctrines  ought  not  to  be  forced.  The 
New  Church  will  always  have  enough  external  and  internal  things  to 
distinguish  it  from  others  without  being  odd. 

Letter  to  Rev.  C.  Giles  from  G.  Burke 

New  Orleans,  Dec.  31,  1862. 

You  will  receive  by  Adams  and  Company  Express  about  the  same 

time  you  receive  this  the  package  of  ten  manuscript  sermons  which  you 

were  so  kind  as  to  send  me  by  my  son  to  be  copied  and  read  to  our 

society.    We  all  thank  you  for  this  additional  evidence  of  your  interest 

-4  202  ^.- 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

in  our  welfare  and  progress,  and  you  may  feel  assured  that  your  ser- 
mons are  highly  appreciated  and  meet  a  cordial  welcome.  Why  don't 
you  send  more  than  you  do  to  the  Messenger  and  the  Magazine?  Not 
one  ever  escapes  a  reading  before  our  society,  and  some  are  marked  as 
having  gone  four  times  before  them.  Last  Sabbath  the  one  on  the  text 
from  John  xv.  13  produced  an  excellent  effect,  especially  upon  some 
strangers  who  were  present.  An  old  Scotch  lady,  a  member  of  our 
society,  said  afterward:  "  Surely  I  have  heard  that  sermon  before.  Did 
not  Mr.  Giles  read  that  to  us  when  here?  "  showing  as  she  said  "  the  im- 
pression made  here"  by  laying  her  hand  on  her  heart! 

Our  society  advances,  which  is  encouraging.  The  work  is  a  slow 
one,  however;  for  we  see  so  many  who  listen,  then  turn  away  and  say 
"very  beautiful  doctrine,"  and  there  the  interest  ends  for  the  time 
being  at  least.  And  then  we  have  discouragements  too  in  other  forms, 
but  they  are  allowed  by  the  Lord,  doubtless  for  our  good,  and  on  the 
whole  we  have  good  cause  to  rejoice  that  tlie  work,  although  slow, 
has  assumed  al  least  a  position  of  respectability  in  our  community! 
The  time  ivas  ivhen  this  tvas  not  the  case!  We  should  therefore  be 
thankful  and  feel  encouraged  to  "go  forward,"  and  when  external  mat- 
ters become  settled,  the  war  over,  we  may  hope  to  have  a  minister 
established  with  us,  and  have  the  ordinances  administered  to  us,  which 
we  have  not  had  for  over  a  year. 

We  are  having  some  peace  of  mind  since  the  removal  of  General 
Butler.  He  is  the  worst  man  witli  more  bad  qualities  than  any  one 
I  ever  met.  Among  other  doings  he  arrested  me  on  Monday  morning 
after  our  having  a  full  attendance  at  church  —  made  up  largely  of 
Episcopalians  —  the  previous  day.  And  why.  do  you  suppose!  Be- 
cause I  dared  to  teach  the  people  without  having  taken  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  United  States!  Whereupon  he  indulged  largely 
in  low  and  vulgar  abuse  and  called  me  very  hard  names,  to  which  I 
made  no  reply.  Such  has  been  the  dread  of  his  power  that  none  of 
us  ever  left  our  beds  in  the  morning  with  any  reasonable  expectation 
of  returning  to  them  at  night.  He  required  me  to  lake  the  oath  or  leave 
the  city.  I  chose  the  former  rather  than  leave  our  society,  and  then 
continued  to  read  to  them.     But  now  General  Banks  is  treating  us  as 

--bI  203  }•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

only  a  gentleman  would,  and  he  may  make  friends  ior  his  Government 
and  the  Union,  which  his  predecessor  failed  completely  to  do  in  a 
single  instance. 

The  following  letter  seems  worthy  of  introduction  to  the  year  1863, 
as  it  gives  a  cheerful  account  of  the  health  of  the  family.  The  Cin- 
cinnati days  numbered  so  many  of  serious  illness  that  it  is  pleasant 
to  give  emphasis  to  an  entire  month  of  freedom  from  such  anxieties, 
especially  as  in  February  three  members  of  the  family  were  stricken: 
Warren  with  typhoid  fever,  Carrie  with  an  ulcerated  throat,  and  the 
baby  with  pneumonia.  All  recovered,  but  the  fatigue  due  to  loss  of 
sleep  and  anxiety  in  the  care  of  so  many  patients  was  very  great. 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  14,  1863. 

We  are  all  in  pretty  good  health.  Eunice  is  better  than  I  have  known 
her  to  be  for  a  long  time.  The  baby  keeps  well  and  grows  finely,  and 
is  a  very  sweet  little  fellow  and  fills  the  house  with  peace  and  joy,  but 
not  always  with  quiet.  We  call  him  John  William.  I  insisted  on  call- 
ing him  John  and  the  children  insisted  on  his  being  called  William,  and 
so  we  compromised  the  matter.  I  wanted  very  much  to  have  one  child 
called  after  Father. 

Wliat  you  say  of  the  terrible  effects  of  the  war  is  sadly  true,  and 
I  fear  we  have  not  seen  the  worst  of  it  yet.  But  you  would  hardly  know 
there  was  a  war  from  the  external  appearance  of  our  city.  It  was  never 
so  gay  and  lively.  More  costly  Christmas  presents  have  been  sold  this 
last  Christmas  than  ever  before. 

Mr.  Giles's  juveniles  have  gladdened  the  hearts  of  many  children, 
and  they  have  also  profited  by  the  lessons  implanted  in  them.  "The 
Wonderful  Pocket,"  "  The  Angel's  Christmas  Tree,"  and  "  Metem- 
psychosis" were  all  written  in  Cincinnati.  The  writer  well  remembers 
the  home  discussion  after  "  Metempsychosis  "  was  read,  and  the  family 
scorn  with  which  her  own  wish  to  be  like  the  violet  was  greeted.  This 
letter  of  January,  1863,  to  Mr.  Ager  gives  in  my  father's  own  words 
the  principles  upon  which  these  stories  were  founded: 

I  have  long  thought  that  the  Doctrines  of  the  New  Church  and  tlie 
light  they  throw  upon  the  nature  and  significance  of  the  material  world, 
and  the  intimate  and  ever-present  relations  it  holds  to  the  spiritual 

-^  204  }3e"~ 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

world,  open  a  wide  field  for  a  new  and  interesting  literature  for  chil- 
dren, containing  all  the  fascination  of  the  ancient  fairy  tales  with  the 
most  practical  religious  truths.  I  am  too  old  to  do  much  in  moulding 
these  rich  materials  into  forms  interesting  and  instructive  to  children, 
even  had  I  the  capacity.  But  such  persons  will  be  found  in  good  time: 
people  of  delicate  fancy,  with  minds  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  truth 
and  life  of  the  Church  and  sensitive  to  all  the  innocent  states  of 
childhood. 

In  this  and  subsequent  letters  are  comments  on  the  war: 

To  Sampson  Reed,  Esq.,  from  C.  Giles 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  18,  1863. 

Our  city  has  been  very  much  excited  by  the  late  battles  at  Murf  rees- 
boro  and  Vicksburg.  Many  were  killed  and  wounded  who  lived  in  this 
city  and  vicinity.  There  are  many  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  here 
and  the  number  is  constantly  increasing.  Our  national  affairs  look  very 
gloomy,  and  I  see  no  hope  or  comfort  but  in  the  truth  that  the  Lord 
rules.  I  have  always  supposed  that  the  North  would  come  into  a  state 
of  despair  in  some  way  before  the  war  ended,  and  that  corrupt  men 
would  display  their  character  so  fully  that  they  might  be  understood 
and  opposed  by  all  men  who  love  their  country,  and  that  time  seems 
fast  approaching.  The  democratic  hordes  are  showing  their  sympathy 
with  the  rebels  as  clearly  as  they  dare,  and  they  have  gone  so  far  in 
some  cases  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  Uiat  they  have  already 
alarmed  the  more  prudent  and  better  portions  of  the  party. 

You  say  Joseph  is  at  Port  Royal.  I  hope  you  hear  tlial  lie  is  well 
and  that  he  finds  himself  usefully  employed.  I  do  not  know  of  any 
better  use  to  which  a  man  can  devote  himself  than  to  destroy  the  rebels 
or  help  the  oppressed  blacks. 

Later  in  the  year,  after  the  defeat  of  Vallandigham  for  governor, 
Mr.  Giles  writes  to  another  friend: 

Is  not  the  news  Ohio  sends  you  to-day  glorious?  We  regard  it  as 
one  of  the  greatest  victories  of  the  war.  Vallandigham  will  have  to 
"watch  and  wait"  over  the  border  for  some  time  yet.     Every  honest 

-■^i  205  }§^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

face  looks  bright  to-day  in  our  city.  A  Butternut  cannot  be  found. 
I  felt  quite  sure  we  could  beat  them  but  I  was  afraid  we  should  not 
give  them  such  a  tremendous  whipping  as  we  have  done.  You  may 
recollect  that  some  of  your  Union  friends  at  the  club  last  summer  were 
afraid  they  would  elect  Val.,  and  I  assured  them  it  was  not  possible, 
and  I  had  no  idea  then  that  any  decent  man  could  be  found  who  would 
advocate  his  election.  But  I  did  not  know  the  depths  of  political  cor- 
ruption. Yesterday  our  business  men  generally  closed  their  stores  and 
gave  up  the  day  to  the  election,  which  was  the  quietest  I  ever  saw.  Our 
Mayor  was  Colonel  of  a  regiment  in  the  army  for  two  years,  and  he 
knows  how  to  execute  orders  as  well  as  to  give  them,  and  somehow  the 
keepers  of  drinking  saloons  and  the  rowdies  know  it.  This  is  one  of 
the  advantages  we  shall  derive  from  the  war.  We  shall  learn  to  obey. 
May  New  York  do  as  well  as  Ohio. 

Oct.  14,  1863. 
The  war  drags  its  slow  length  along.  We  have  taken  two,  perhaps 
three,  steps  towards  our  final  triumph  since  I  have  received  your  letter. 
We  have  gotten  rid  of  the  incubus,  McClellan.  Was  ever  a  nation  so 
imposed  upon  before?  We  have  a  proclamation  of  freedom  for  the 
slaves  from  the  President,  and  the  rebels  at  the  North  have  made  their 
campaign  and  have  been  signally  defeated.  This  I  regard  as  a  more 
important  victory  than  any  we  could  have  obtained  over  the  rebels  at 
the  South.  Everybody  here  except  the  Butternuts  seems  confident  and 
hopeful. 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Giles's  decided  loyalty  to  the  Union  his  friendly 
relations  with  some  of  the  Southern  New  Churchmen  continued.  His 
sermons  were  lent  not  only  to  the  smaller  societies  in  Ohio,  but  were 
sent  to  River  Point,  L.  I.,  to  St.  Louis  and  to  New  Orleans. 

This  hopeful  letter  was  written  to  Mr.  Burke  after  the  receipt  of  some 
of  the  sermons  which  he  had  lent: 

To  Glendy  Burke,  Esq. 

Cincinnati,  Jan.  25,  1863. 
Your  very  welcome  favor  of  Dec.  31st  was  duly  received  and  a  few 
days  after  the  sermons  came  safely  to  hand.     I  am  very  much  pleased 

-4  206  ^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

to  hear  of  your  progress  in  the  New  Church.  I  feel,  perhaps  I  may  say, 
a  strange  or  at  least  an  unusual  interest  in  your  little  society,  and  I 
think  of  you  often,  and  of  all  the  members  I  know,  with  deep  interest. 
It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  know  tliat  I  can  sometimes  speak  to  you 
though  separated  by  so  many  miles  of  space,  and  that  it  is  pleasant  for 
you  to  listen  to  my  words,  or  rather  to  the  message  the  Lord  sends  you 
through  me. 

We  know  the  New  Church  seems  almost  nothing  compared  with  the 
old,  and  yet  there  is  more  power  in  a  live  aconi  than  in  a  dead  oak. 
The  Lord  neither  tarries  nor  hastens.  The  progress  of  the  New  Church 
is  the  development  of  Humanity  not  only  in  this  world  but  in  the 
spiritual  world,  and  as  Humanity  is  a  Man  the  development  must  be 
harmonious.  The  external  and  the  internal  must  grow  together.  The 
kingdom  in  the  heavens  and  on  the  earth  is  one  kingdom,  and  neither 
can  advance  much  beyond  the  other. 

All  that  the  Lord  requires  of  us  is  to  do  our  work  standing  in  our  lot. 
It  would  seem  to  us  greater  if  we  had  larger  numbers  and  more  impos- 
ing worship.  But  would  it  be  greater  or  more  important?  I  think 
not.  He  who  casts  a  healing  influence  into  the  fountain  purifies  the 
whole  stream.  A  slight  influence  upon  tlie  seed  is  more  potent  for 
good  or  evil  than  a  much  greater  one  upon  the  mature  plant. 

\^'ith  such  reflections  I  comfort  myself  and  strengthen  my  hands 
and  heart  for  my  work.    Wliat  I  can  do  seems  almost  nothing. 

From  my  study  window  I  can  see  the  front  of  a  large  Catholic 
Churrh.  Crowds  of  people  flock  to  it,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  some- 
times, when  shall  we  see  such  crowds  in  the  New  Church?  And  yet  we 
may  know  that  the  truths  of  the  New  Church  dispensed  to  a  few  must 
be  more  powerful  for  good  than  all  the  pomp  and  ceremony  with  which 
the  husks  of  a  dead  church  are  fed  to  the  vast  crowds  which  throng  our 
cathedrals.  Yes,  my  dear  brother,  we  are  doing  a  great  work,  and  let 
us  do  it  well.  If  we  are  faithful  in  it  we  shall  rea]>  the  reward  of  our 
fidelity,  whether  we  lay  the  foundation  in  much  weakness  and  obscurity 
or  shout  with  the  multitudes  at  the  crowning  of  the  work. 

You  ask  me  why  I  do  not  send  more  of  my  sermons  to  the  Messenger 
and  the  Magazine.     I  do  not  know,  unless  it  is  that  I  am  busy  and 

-4  207  }■♦  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

there  are  other  ministers  much  older  and  better  known  in  the  Church 
than  I,  and  it  seems  proper  for  them  to  speak.  If  the  Lord  spares  my 
life  I  intend  to  publish  something  yet.  Perhaps  I  am  too  fastidious 
about  it. 

In  July  the  church  was  closed  for  four  Sundays.  The  vacation  was 
spent  in  the  hot  city  because  of  lack  of  means  to  go  elsewhere.  It  was 
a  great  contrast  to  the  delightful  visit  in  Newport  tlie  summer  before. 

The  diary  records: 

I  remained  home  three  Sundays  in  idleness.  I  hope  it  may  not 
occur  again.  ...  So  ends  my  vacation.  How  little  I  have  done,  and 
I  feel  that  my  powers  are  failing  in  some  respects.  I  may  preach  better 
perhaps,  but  I  do  not  know.  There  ought  to  be  ten  or  fifteen  years  of 
good  hard  work  in  me  yet. 

In  October  Mr.  Giles  began  a  series  of  sermons  on  tlie  "  Beatitudes," 
which  were  several  years  later  published  in  England  under  the  title 
of  "  Heavenly  Blessedness."  The  custom  of  writing  a  number  of  ser- 
mons on  one  general  topic  was  often  employed  by  my  father.  In 
relation  to  it  he  says: 

I  am  satisfied  that  ordinary  sermons  are  of  but  little  use.  They  are 
too  fragmentary.    They  give  truth  in  bits,  without  showing  its  relations. 

The  Cincinnati  society  had  purchased  the  church  on  the  comer  of 
Fourth  and  John  streets,  and  it  was  now  undergoing  alterations.  Pre- 
vious to  this  a  lot  had  been  bought  and  plans  made  for  an  entirely  new 
edifice,  but  the  stress  of  war  prevented  the  completion  of  this  project, 
and  the  lot  was  returned  to  its  former  owners. 

On  November  22nd  Mr.  Giles  records  the  last  lecture  in  the  old 
building.  His  subject  was  the  "  Last  State  of  Spirits  in  the  World  of 
Spirits." 

So  ends  my  service  in  the  old  temple.  May  the  change  to  the 
society  be  like  the  change  from  the  World  of  Spirits  to  Heaven! 

One  of  the  features  of  church  work  in  Ohio  was  the  frequent  neces- 
sity for  visits  to  the  numerous  smaller  societies  in  the  state.  The 
ministers  or  leaders  of  these  societies  seldom  had  the  power  to  admin- 

-4  208  ^~ 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

ister  the  sacraments,  so  the  advent  of  a  clergyman  vested  with  this 
authority  made  these  occasions  very  important.  Traveling  facilities, 
though  improved,  still  had  their  difficulties  in  the  sixties.  Some  of  these 
are  mentioned  in  this  account  of  a  visit  to  Pomeroy,  taken  Nov.  30, 
1863.  At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Convention  on  June  14,  1863, 
Mr.  Giles  received  the  powers  of  Ordaining  Minister  or  General  Pastor, 
and  this  visit  to  Pomeroy  was  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  ordaining 
Mr.  Edson. 

You  see  by  the  date  of  my  letter  that  I  am  here,  though  it  was  through 
much  tribulation  and  mud  that  I  succeeded  in  getting  here.  The  train 
was  behind  time.  I  had  to  remain  in  Athens  overnight.  The  next 
morning  it  rained  hard  and  I  had  the  pleasant  prospect  before  me  of 
riding  tliirty-three  miles  in  the  rain  in  an  open  wagon  and  tlirough  the 
mud.  I  had  no  umbrella  and  no  shawl.  I  purchased  an  umbrella  and 
concluded  to  make  the  best  of  it.  The  rain  poured  down  and  the  mud 
rolled  up.  After  driving  about  two  miles  I  found  I  was  getting  wet 
and  cold.  I  happened  to  think  that  Rev.  Elisha  Hibbard  lived  on  the 
road,  and  when  I  reached  his  house  I  asked  for  a  bedquilt  or  blanket. 
We  put  it  across  our  knees  and  after  that  we  got  along  very  well.  The 
mud  was  terrible  and  we  were  obliged  to  go  very  slowly.  We  arrived  in 
Pomeroy  about  seven  o'clock,  and  I  was  informed  that  I  must  walk 
to  Mr.  G.'s  in  the  dark,  more  than  a  mile  from  where  the  hack  stops. 
After  scolding  some  I  got  out  of  the  hack  and  pushed  on,  not  knowing 
whether  I  should  get  mired  or  fall  off  the  bank  into  the  river.  I  reached 
the  Rolling's  Mill  without  any  accidents,  and  as  I  heard  some  one 
coming  from  tlie  office  I  inquired  if  Mr.  G.  were  there,  and  finding  tliat 
he  was,  I  went  in  and  found  him  trying  to  bring  a  drovming  man  to 
life.  In  another  part  of  the  office  the  engineer  was  sick,  having  been 
suddenly  attacked  with  pleurisy  so  severely  that  he  could  not  be  moved 
home. 

Mr.  G.  came  home  with  me  and  I  was  glad  lo  gel  lo  the  fire  and  have 
some  supper.  You  can  easily  imagine  that  I  was  very  tired.  That 
night  it  froze  and  it  was  cold  ami  rough. 

Yesterday  I  rode  to  Middlcport.  Just  as  we  reached  the  Coalport 
landing  the  Ohio  came  up.     So  if  I  had  remained  on  the  boat  I  should 

-^  209  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

have  been  here  in  ample  time.  I  am  afraid  I  was  a  little  vexed.  I  had 
taken  a  roundabout  way  at  an  expense  of  five  dollars  and  had  not 
gained  a  minute  by  it.  Your  mother  went  on  up  to  the  Rolling's  Mill 
landing  and  I  went  to  the  meeting.  I  ordained  Mr.  Edson,  baptized  two 
babies  and  one  adult,  confirmed  four  persons,  preached  a  sermon,  and 
administered  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Supper.  I  dined  at  Mr.  G.'s 
in  Middleport,  and  then  drove  back  to  the  County  Court  House  and 
preached  again.  There  I  met  your  mother  for  the  first  time  since  we 
left  Cincinnati.  We  stopped  on  the  way  to  Mr.  G.'s  at  Mr.  H.'s  and 
got  home  tired  enough. 

In  the  autumn  of  1863  several  letters  were  exchanged  between  Mr. 
Thomas  Hitchcock  of  New  York  and  Mr.  Giles  with  regard  to  tlie  lat- 
ter's  acceptance  of  an  invitation  to  the  pastorate  of  the  New  York  So- 
ciety. This  was  the  second  time  Mr.  Giles  had  been  asked  to  go  to 
New  York.  He  had  previously  declined  to  consider  it  because  the 
Ohio  friends  "were  in  the  midst  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  successful 
movement  to  build  a  new  temple,"  and  it  was  thought  his  leaving  would 
"  in  all  probability  prevent  its  accomplishment."  At  the  present  time, 
notwithstanding  his  attachment  to  the  Cincinnati  Society,  he  felt 
"  bound  by  a  kind  of  necessity  to  consider  the  pecuniary  difficulties 
under  which  he  labored."  He  asked  no  increase  of  salary  but  found 
it  impossible  to  maintain  his  family  upon  the  existing  one. 

In  his  annual  report  Mr.  Giles  had  urged  a  stronger  interest  in  the 
ordinances  of  the  Church,  and  deplored  the  slender  attendance  at  the 
Holy  Supper,  and  the  Society's  indifference  to  the  work  of  the  Church 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  This  led  him  to  think  that  perhaps  another 
man  might  quicken  its  interest  and  increase  its  activity.  The  purchase 
of  the  new  temple  and  the  substantial  expressions  of  affection  from  the 
ladies  of  the  Society  and  the  congregation  led  him  to  waver  in  his 
decision  to  leave.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  new  field  of  labor  he 
would  have  more  time  for  pastoral  duty  and  for  the  preparation  of 
some  works  for  the  press.  There  was  also  the  thought  of  the  possible 
benefit  to  the  family  of  a  change  of  climate.  There  had  been  nuich  ill- 
ness ever  since  they  lived  in  Cincinnati,  and  it  seemed  worth  while  to 
try  the  experiment.    In  addition  he  said: 

I  feel  bound  to  every  one  of  you  by  many  strong  and  tender  ties, 
and  the  thought  of  leaving  you  is  always  attended  with  pain.     I  have 

-•€{  210  }^  - 


CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

preached  for  the  Society  for  nearly  one  fourth  of  its  existence,  and 
I  cannot  recall  an  unpleasant  word  that  has  passed  between  me  and  any 
member  of  the  Society  or  congregation  during  the  time. 

I  am  well  aware  that  I  have  performed  my  duties  with  many  imper- 
fections. I  presume  I  have  fallen  much  farther  below  my  own  stand- 
ard of  what  a  pastor  ought  to  be  than  I  have  of  yours.  But  such  as  it 
has  been,  my  work  is  before  you,  and  you  can  judge  better  than  I 
whether  it  is  better  to  draw  it  to  a  speedy  close  or  to  continue  it  longer. 
And  I  desire  to  receive  from  you  a  full  and  frank  expression  of  your 
judgment  and  wishes  concerning  it. 

After  due  consideration  on  December  21st,  the  following  resolutions 
were  passed  by  the  Society: 

1st.  Resolved:  That  this  Society  and  congregation  entertain  a  unani- 
mous feeling  of  attachment  to  our  present  Pastor,  the  Rev.  Cliauncey 
Giles,  and  learn  with  much  solicitude  that  there  is  any  prospect  of  his 
leaving  for  another  field  of  labor. 

2nd.  Resolved:  That  if  our  Pastor,  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles,  sees  fit  to 
remain  with  us  we  will  make  his  salary  $2500  per  annum,  commencing 
May  1st,  1863. 

The  formal  invitation  to  Mr.  Giles  from  New  York  arrived  early  in 
January.  Mr.  Giles  accepted  the  invitation,  and  on  February  3rd  the 
Society  met  and  passed  resolutions  which,  while  they  accepted  Mr. 
Giles's  resignation,  expressed  deep  regret  at  his  decision  and  grateful 
appreciation  of  his  services  during  his  pastorate.  They  also  voted  to 
increase  his  salary. 

The  last  months  of  Mr.  Giles's  pastorate  in  Cincinnati  were  months 
ol  mingled  liapijiness  and  pain. 

In  his  family  there  was  much  serious  illness  which  caused  him  great 
anxictv,  ami  tli<'  coiitiinied  nursing  wore  u]ion  his  health  and  upon  my 
niotlier's.  Early  in  January  Charles  was  taken  ill  with  malignant  scar- 
let fever.  So  extreme  was  his  illness  that  the  doctor  despaired  of  his 
life.  My  father,  ever  resourceful  and  ready  to  try  new  methods,  ap- 
plied wet  sheets  with  such  niarkeilly  favorable  results  that  on  tlie  doc- 
tor's next  visit  he  said,  "Why,  what  have  you  done  to  this  boy!  I  did 
not  expect  to  find  him  alive."     From  that  time  llic  patient  contiiuicd  to 

--»;■{  211  }■>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

improve.  When  the  process  of  desquamation  began,  by  using  a  little 
care  Mr.  Giles  succeeded  in  removing  tlie  entire  skin  of  the  inside  of 
one  hand.  This  was  placed  as  a  curiosity  for  safe  keeping  in  one  of 
the  drawers  of  his  desk.  So  far  as  I  know,  no  one  ever  contracted  scar- 
let fever  from  tliis  bit  of  epidermis.  During  Charles's  illness  his  sister 
Carrie  had  scarlet  rash  and  Lucy  an  ulcerated  sore  throat. 

In  the  church  there  was  much  that  was  encouraging  and  reassuring. 
The  new  temple  was  dedicated  on  the  17th  of  January.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful day  and  the  house  was  well  filled.     Mr.  Giles  writes: 

The  house  is  quite  spacious,  seating  over  five  hundred  without  crowd- 
ing. It  is  very  neat,  airy,  and  pleasant.  We  have  a  reading  desk  and 
pulpit  and  will  have  some  kind  of  a  Repository  for  the  Word. 

Every  one  says,  "  What  a  pity  you  are  going  away.  You  have  a 
large  and  handsome  place  of  worship,  the  seats  are  all  taken,  and  the 
audience  continues  to  increase  from  week  to  week."  But  I  tell  them 
I  am  quite  delighted  to  leave  the  Society  in  so  flourishing  a  condition. 
Since  I  have  determined  to  leave,  it  is  much  pleasanter  than  it  would  be 
to  know  that  the  Society  had  run  down  under  my  charge  and  that  they 
were  glad  to  get  rid  of  me. 

The  Society  has  invited  Mr.  Hayden  to  preach  for  it  during  the 
month  of  May,  and  he  is  coming  with  Mrs.  Hayden.  I  predict  tliat  he 
will  be  given  a  call  and  that  he  will  accept,  and  I  think  he  will  be  a 
very  useful  man  here.  Mr.  Beaman  is  to  preach  during  the  montli  of 
June  in  order  to  supply  the  pulpit  until  the  summer  vacation. 

My  father's  affection  for  the  dear  Cincinnati  friends  was  a  very  true 
and  lasting  one.  There  is  in  the  people  themselves  a  cordiality  of 
manner,  a  friendliness  of  feeling,  expressed  not  only  in  words  but  in 
many  kind  deeds,  which  endeared  them  to  him.  During  his  last  illness 
his  thoughts  reverted  many  times  to  them.  He  said:  "As  I  lie  here 
I  think  of  one  and  another.  They  are  very  dear  to  me.  You  know 
it  was  my  first  pastorale." 

Mr.  Thomas  Hitchcock  of  New  York  was  at  that  time  a  staunch 
friend  of  my  father's.  It  was  largely  through  his  instrumentality  that 
Mr.  Giles  received  the  call  to  New  York.  He  was  unwearied  in  his 
efforts  to  provide  for  the  family's  needs,  and  Mr.  Giles  writes  thus  of 
the  house  (43  E.  33rd  Street)  which  the  former  had  secured: 

-^  212  ]^'~ 


'    CINCINNATI    PASTORATE,    1862-1864 

There  will  be  ample  room  and  it  will  accommodate  us  in  all  respects. 
The  location  is  all  we  could  wish,  even  to  the  side  of  the  way.  I  have 
always  thought  I  should  prefer  to  live  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  street 
as  well  as  of  things  if  I  could.  Mrs.  Giles  wishes  me  to  thank  you  for 
your  kind  consideration  and  attention.  It  must  have  cost  you  much 
time  and  labor  to  find  a  house  so  well  suited  to  our  wants  in  every 
respect,  and  we  feel  very  grateful  to  you  for  it.  It  will  add  so  much 
to  our  comfort  to  know  exactly  where  we  are  going. 

I  intend  to  close  my  labors  here  the  last  Sabbath  in  April,  and  I 
expect  to  preach  my  first  sermon  in  New  York  the  first  of  May.  We 
shall  probably  break  up  here  about  the  20th  of  April. 

I  have  no  fear  as  to  the  results  of  my  ministry  in  New  York.  I  have 
never  regretted  the  movement,  and  do  not  think  I  ever  shall.  My  wife 
says  there  is  one  good  thing  about  me,  —  when  I  have  decided  to  do  a 
thing  I  have  decided. 

The  plans  for  leaving  Cincinnati  could  not  be  carried  out  at  the  time 
set  because  of  the  serious  illness  of  one  of  my  brothers.  My  father 
writes: 

I  fear  I  shall  not  be  able  to  begin  my  ministry  the  first  Sabbath  in 
May.  My  son  Chauncey  was  taken  very  ill  a  week  ago  yesterday  with 
typhoid  fever,  and  there  is  very  little  prospect  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
move  next  week.  We  had  made  all  our  arrangements  for  Mrs.  Giles 
and  the  children  to  leave  Wednesday  the  20th.  The  day  was  appointed 
for  the  sale  and  everything  was  in  preparation  for  it.  But  we  can  do 
nothing  now  until  Chauncey  is  better.  It  is  a  great  disappointment  to 
us  and  I  suppose  it  will  be  to  you;  but  it  is  one  of  those  things  which 
no  one  can  foresee  or  prevent,  and  all  we  can  do  is  to  submit. 

On  April  24th,  1864,  he  describes  his  last  Sunday  as  pastor  of  the 
Cincinnati  Society. 

It  was  a  very  stormy  day,  but  the  audience  was  large  and  the  atten- 
tion all  I  could  desire.  I  was  very  much  afraid  that  I  should  not  be 
able  to  go  through  with  the  service,  and  I  avoided  any  alhision  to  the 
past  or  to  those  subjects  which  would  be  calculated  to  excite  emotion, 
and  I  got  through  very  well.    The  audience  was  very  much  affected. 

-4  213  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

In  the  afternoon  eighteen  persons  were  confirmed.  It  was  a  most 
beautiful  and  interesting  sight  and  rejoiced  my  heart  greatly.  I 
seemed  to  be  reaping  the  harvest  of  my  past  labors. 

After  the  confirmations  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Supper  was  ad- 
ministered to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  communicants,  the  largest 
number  ever  assembled  on  such  an  occasion  in  Cincinnati  since  I  came 
here,  except  at  the  General  Convention.  This  is  four  or  five  times  as 
many  as  were  present  when  I  administered  it  here  for  the  first  time. 
If  it  had  not  been  a  stormy  day  there  would  doubtless  have  been  many 
more. 

The  whole  proceedings  were  certainly  very  gratifying  to  me  and  I 
rejoice  at  this  evidence  that  I  have  been  of  some  use  to  the  Church  and 
for  this  encouragement  which  may  lead  to  greater  activity  for  the  future. 
The  Lord  be  praised  for  it. 

May  11th  finds  Mr.  Giles  still  in  Cincinnati.  The  following  is  the 
last  record  in  his  diary  from  tliat  place: 

In  the  evening  I  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Society.  They  presented 
me  with  a  copy  of  Appleton's  American  Encyclopedia  and  a  check  for 
a  thousand  dollars.  A  part  of  this  sum  was  due  to  me  and  a  part  of  it 
was  a  gift.  The  presentation  was  made  in  behalf  of  the  Society  by 
Wm.  S.  Merrell,  and  I  made  some  sort  of  a  reply,  I  hardly  know 
what,  for  I  was  perfectly  exhausted  and  was  laboring  under  an  intense 
nervous  headache.  So  closed  my  connection  with  the  First  New  Jerusa- 
lem Society  of  Cincinnati. 

The  family  moved  four  times  during  its  stay  in  Cincinnati.  Their 
first  house  was  in  the  parsonage  on  7th  Street.  This  was  afterwards 
sold,  and  they  removed  to  Vine  Street  Hill.  Here  they  occupied  succes- 
sively two  different  houses.  At  the  time  of  leaving  Cincinnati  they 
lived  at  261  Longworth  Street.  This  move  to  the  city  was  much  re- 
gretted by  one  of  the  little  boys,  who  said,  "  There  was  no  outdoors 
there." 

The  street  was  the  centre  of  some  stirring  scenes  during  the  Civil  War 
when  regiments  on  their  way  South  would  march  through.  On  one 
occasion  the  men  halted  in  front  of  the  house  and  some  very  excited 
children  rapturously  served  the  men  with  coffee  and  doughnuts. 

-^  214  )^'- 


CINCINNATI   PASTORATE,   1862-1864 

The  occasional  contraband  from  the  South  would  find  his  way  here, 
and  the  curious  children  listened  with  keen  interest  to  plantation  songs 
and  hymns. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  drove  through  the  street  in  state  when  visiting 
the  city.  His  appearance  was  a  keen  disappointment  to  a  little  girl 
steeped  in  fairy  lore  who  expected  to  see  him  arrayed  in  green  velvet 
with  a  hat  adorned  with  long  green  plumes.  How  sad  to  find  him  only 
an  ordinary  man! 

Lincoln  passed  by  on  his  way  to  his  first  inaugural.  It  is  a  tribute 
to  his  remarkable  presence  that  in  that  one  brief  glimpse  his  features 
stamped  themselves  indelibly  upon  a  little  child's  mind. 

The  street  was  the  only  playground  for  the  children.  The  neighbors 
were  friendly,  and  a  pleasant  memory  remains  of  summer  evenings 
when  ladies  in  light  summer  dresses  sat  on  their  doorsteps  with  the  men 
of  the  family  who  had  not  gone  to  the  war,  and  the  children  played  in 
groups  on  the  sidewalk. 

A  child's  memory  is  a  capricious  thing,  and  does  not  always  preserve 
matters  of  importance.  I  well  remember,  however,  the  glow  that  filled 
my  childish  heart  when  on  coming  in  from  play  or  school  my  mother's 
gentle  greeting  fell  upon  my  ear.  The  sweetness  of  it  seemed  like  a 
benediction.  Also  the  sunshine  that  seemed  to  fill  the  room  when 
Father  with  his  cheery  smile  would  visit  a  small  invalid  and  say,  "'  Why, 
you  are  looking  as  bright  as  a  dollar!  "      One  felt  better  immediately. 

We  were  often  naughty,  and  sometimes  corporal  punishment  was  ad- 
ministered, but  not  in  anger. 

One  of  my  earliest  recollections  is  of  extreme  terror  during  a  thunder 
storm.  How  gently  my  father  took  me  in  his  arms  and,  while  the  thun- 
der rolled  and  the  lightning  flashed,  how  ineffaceably  he  impressed  upon 
me  the  fact  of  the  Heavenly  Father's  protecting  care.  That  fear  was  then 
removed  for  life.  Another  lesson  taught  in  those  very  early  days  was 
this:  some  of  the  boys  were  laughing  at  me  and  I  began  to  cry.  Said 
Fatlier  (I  remember  his  very  words  this  time),  "Carrie,  when  people 
laugh  at  you,  laugh  too,  and  they  will  stop."  Struggling  with  my  tears 
I  obeyed  and  forced  a  laugh,  with  the  desired  result  of  silencing  the 
teasing  boys. 

Another  incident  which  occurred  to  my  eldest  brother  will  illustrate 
some  of  my  father's  methods. 

One  of  my  brother's  playmates,  older  and  bigger  than  he.  was  a  bully 
and  often  taunted  him  with  threats  and  sometimes  struck  him.  As 
Warren  bore  this  treatment  without  retaliation  Father  feared  he  was 

'■■4  215  }§►- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

lacking  in  proper  spirit,  and  wishing  to  teach  him  to  defend  himself 
said,  "The  next  time  that  boy  strikes  you  show  liim  that  you  will  not 
submit  to  such  treatment."  My  brother's  reply  was  characteristic. 
"  Why,  Father,"'  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid  I  might  hurt  him." 

However,  in  a  few  days  when  the  boy  began  fresh  assaults,  my  brother 
quietly  and  promptly  took  him  over  his  knee  and  spanked  him.  It  is 
needless  to  say  there  was  no  further  trouble  from  the  humiliated  bully. 

We  all  loved  Cincinnati,  and  all  but  the  youngest  two  deeply  felt 
leaving  the  place.  One  of  the  children  declared  her  intention  of  saving 
her  pocket  money  in  order  to  return. 

The  journey  was  a  hard  one  for  dear  Mother.  Father  had  gone  on 
to  meet  his  obligations  in  New  York.  With  six  children  she  set  out  on 
the  long  and  tedious  journey.  I  do  not  remember  about  the  sleeping 
accommodations,  but  it  was  necessary  to  provide  the  food  for  several 
meals.  My  brother  Chauncey,  pale  and  thin  from  his  severe  illness, 
was  in  a  very  weak  state  and  required  close  care,  and  my  youngest 
brotlier  was  only  two  years  old.  Willi  so  many  small  children  the 
journey  must  have  been  very  fatiguing. 

From  the  car  windows  one  looked  on  miles  of  forest  and  many  log 
houses. 

The  family  did  not  go  immediately  to  New  York,  but  visited  for  a 
month  in  Palmyra,  my  mother's  native  place.  This  was  a  most  benefi- 
cial experience,  enabling  Mrs.  Giles  to  recover  from  the  fatigue  of 
breaking  up  in  Cincinnati  and  restoring  to  perfect  health  the  brother 
who  was  recovering  from  typhoid  fever. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May  or  early  in  June  the  family  moved  to  New 
York,  to  No.  43  East  33rd  Street,  near  Park  Avenue. 


-<i  216  }■>•• 


CHAPTER   IX 
The  New  York  Society  —  Introductory 

T 

JL  o  readers  of  the  early  history  of  the  New  Church  in  this  country 
the  period  of  its  beginnings  seems  very  remote.  And  yet  a  small  thing 
may  bridge  die  gulf  of  time  and  bring  the  first  meetings  for  worship 
very  near.  Such  a  link  with  tlie  past  is  some  old,  yellow  paper,  very 
like  parchment,  the  writing  upon  it  faded  but  legible,  signed  with 
the  name  "William  Hill."  Upon  this  paper  are  two  letters  written  in 
1795  in  New  Utrecht  to  Mrs.  Bragg  upon  the  death  of  her  husband  and 
Mr.  Mott  the  same  week.  They  had  been  preserved  by  Mr.  Bragg's 
daughter,  Mrs.  Rabone,  and  were  given  to  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles  in  the 
year  1875.  With  the  letters  is  a  pen  and  ink  sketch  of  a  house  front. 
No.  310  Water  Street,  New  York.  Here  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bragg  lived 
after  Uiey  left  England,  and  here  were  held  some  of  the  first  meetings 
of  New  Church  people  in  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  Rabone,  in  a  note  to  Rev.  C.  Giles,  writes: 

Mr.  Mott  was  a  partner  with  my  father.  My  father  went  to  Amer- 
ica upon  the  disaster  to  the  first  place  of  worship  ever  built  expressly 
for  the  New  Church;  the  gentlemen  who  built  it  failed  and  there  was 
much  trouble  to  many  families.  Mr.  Hill  came  to  New  York  very 
soon  after  Father,  and  I  believe  our  house  was  the  first  in  which  a  few 
friends  met,  and  my  father  gave  books  to  die  library,  which  my  son 
saw  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  old.  My  motlier  and  the  three  chil- 
dren she  took  with  her  returned  to  England,  and  Mr.  Hill  was  most 
kind  in  assisting  her.  He  was  not  married  at  that  time,  but  his  death 
occurred  in  1804. 

His  widow  came  to  see  my  mother  several  years  after  in  Birming- 
ham, on  her  way  to  Scotland.  I  heard  that  she  keeps  a  school  in  Edin- 
burgh. I  learned  this  only  a  few  years  since.  Mr.  Hills  widow  was, 
before  marriage,  a  Miss  Esther  Duche,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Duche, 
who  in  Philadelphia  offered  die  first  prayer  in  the  Continental  Congress. 

--si  217  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  wedding  of  Mr.  Hill  and  Miss  Duche  is  mentioned  as  the  first  New 
Church  marriage  on  earth. 

Wlien  Mr.  Giles  came  to  New  York  in  186S,  the  society  had  at 
length  found  a  permanent  home  in  the  churcli  in  Thirty-fifth  Street. 
This  was  attained  after  many  changes:  from  schoolhouse  to  hall,  from 
hall  to  church,  and  again  to  rooms  rented  in  various  buildings. 

The  first  New  Churchman  of  whom  we  have  any  record  is  a  Mr. 
Russell,  who  came  to  the  city  from  Halifax  in  1793.  The  first  meeting 
for  worship  was  held  the  following  year,  four  persons  being  present: 
Mr.  Edward  Riley,  Mr.  James  (^hesterman,  Mr.  Samuel  Woodworth, 
and  a  Mrs.  Gallon.  Although  there  were  meetings  for  several  years,  a 
society  was  not  organized  until  1816.  It  was  called  the  "Association 
of  tlie  City  of  New  York."'  Few  as  were  the  members,  they  felt  tlie  im- 
portance of  giving  to  others  tlie  truths  they  enjoyed.  It  was  impressed 
upon  each  one  "either  by  conversation  or  otherwise,  to  communicate 
to  all  around  him  whatever  knowledge  he  may  have  acquired  ol  the 
Heavenly  doctrines,  having  a  due  regard  to  time  and  circumstance." 

Conversation  was  not  the  only  means  employed,  for  Mr.  Woodworth, 
author  of  "  The  Old  Oaken  Bucket,"  issued  a  periodical,  one  of  the 
first  New  Church  magazines  in  the  country,  called  the  Halcyon  Lumi- 
nary.    It  had  but  a  brief  existence. 

Without  following  the  society  to  all  its  places  of  worship  —  there 
were  eight  between  the  first  one  and  the  permanent  settlement  in  Thirty- 
fifth  Street  —  some  mention  will  be  made  of  the  men  who  led  the 
people.  The  first  real  leader  was  Mr.  C.  J.  Doughty,  who  began  by 
preaching  on  Sunday  and  practising  law  during  the  week.  When  he 
decided  to  renounce  entirely  his  secular  calling  he  was  ordained  by 
Rev.  M.  M.  Carll,  in  1818.  During  a  part  of  his  ministry  the  society 
held  services  in  a  church  in  Pearl  Street.  At  its  dedication  exercises 
in  1821  Mr.  Carll,  who  preached  the  sermon,  was  robed  in  white  linen 
as  a  representative  of  the  Divine  Truth,  and  Mr.  Doughty,  who  read 
the  prayers,  wore  a  black  gown  to  represent  contrition  and  humiliation. 

In  1838  Mr.  Doughty  severed  his  connection  with  the  society  but 
continued  to  hold  meetings  in  his  parlor.  An  outgrowth  from  this 
beginning  was  a  second  society,  which  met  in  a  hall  in  Canal  Street. 
Here  Mr.  Doughty  preached  until  his  death,  three  years  later.  The 
first  delegates  to  the  General  Convention  were  sent  in  1822.  They  were 
Mr.  Doughty,  Mr.  Chesterman,  and  Mr.  Riley. 

An  amusing  episode  of  this  period  was  the  formation  of  a  "Chari- 

-^  218  ^'■- 


THE  NEW  YORK  SOCIETY  — INTRODUCTORY 

table  Association  which  purposed  to  aid  in  the  regeneration  of  its  mem- 
bers by  telling  them  their  faults." 

Mr.  Barrett,  who  had  come  into  the  church  from  the  Unitarians, 
began  his  ministiy  in  the  New  Church  in  New  York  in  1840.  During 
his  pastorate  he  delivered  some  very  remarkable  lectures,  which  were, 
when  given,  the  most  popular  New  Church  lectures  that  had  ever  been 
delivered  in  this  country.  They  have  been  since  published  in  book 
form  and  constitute  one  of  the  standard  collateral  works  of  the  Church. 

Mr.  Barrett  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  Convention  and  fully  in 
accord  wilh  its  church  polity.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Worcester  in  1841.  When  he  received  a  call  from  the  Cincinnati 
people  he  left  New  York  for  a  trial  period  of  three  months,  leaving 
Professor  George  Bush  in  charge.  Mr.  Bush,  a  learned  Biblical  scholar 
and  Orientalist,  had  for  some  time  been  teaching  views  of  the  resur- 
rection similar  to  those  of  the  New  Church.  Wlien  his  attention  was 
called  to  this  he  began  to  read  Swedenborg,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  became  an  avowed  New  Churchman.  He  was  a  great  acquisition  to 
the  society,  and  when,  after  Mr.  Barrett's  return,  the  latter  accepted  the 
call  to  Cincinnati,  Professor  Bush  was  the  obvious  successor  to  him. 
August  20th,  1848,  Mr.  Bush  was  ordained  by  Mr.  Beers  into  "all  the 
functions  of  tlie  three  grades  of  the  ministry  at  once."  This  fact  will 
indicate  that  in  New  York,  as  elsewhere,  the  mooted  topic  of  degrees 
in  the  ministry  was  still  unsettled. 

A  very  important  event,  not  only  in  the  New  York  Society  but  in  the 
history  of  the  Church  at  large,  was  the  formation,  on  November  1.5th, 
1850,  of  the  "  Swedenborg  Printing  and  Publishing  Society."  Mr. 
James  Chesterman  was  president;  Mr.  John  L.  Jewett,  for  many  years 
editor  of  the  Messenger,  was  its  secretary,  and  its  treasurer  was 
Mr.  R.  C.  Moffat,  a  well-known  active  worker  in  the  Church,  and  after- 
wards a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Society. 

Without  mentioning  all  the  ministers  who  preached  for  a  short  time 
only,  for  ihere  were  several,  I  will  speak  of  Rev.  Richard  DeCharms, 
who  succeeded  Professor  Bush  for  a  period  of  three  months,  because 
about  this  lime  the  New  York  Society  formally  withdrew  from  the 
General  Convention  and  did  not  again  join  it  until  many  years  later, 
during  Mr.  Giles's  pastorate. 

The  o|)])osi[ion  to  Convention  arose  about  the  same  time  that  it  was 
manifested  in  Cincinnati  and  Philadelphia  and  from  the  same  causes. 
The  New  York  Society  was  not  so  disrupted  thereby  as  the  one  in 
Philadelphia,  because  its  members  were  practically  of  one  mind  on  the 

-4  219  }§.•- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

subject.  Professor  Bush,  though  an  admirable  intellectual  leader,  had 
little  or  nothing  of  tlie  pastoral  quality.  He  was  very  strongly  opposed 
to  ecclesiasticism  and,  indeed,  to  an  organized  ministry.  He  was  a 
student  par  excellence,  and  many  of  his  works  are  valuable  books  of 
reference  for  theological  students. 

The  society  owes  its  present  situation  in  Tliirty-fifth  Street  to  the  gen- 
erosity of  Mr.  James  Chesterman,  one  of  the  original  four.  Mr.  Ches- 
tenuan  died  in  1854,  and  in  his  will  left  the  property  on  Thirty-fifth 
Street  to  the  society.  Before  his  death  he  had  offered  the  lot  as  a  site 
for  a  church,  but  it  had  then  been  gratefully  declined  because  of  the 
cost  of  building,  and  because  its  situation  was  so  remote  from  the 
active  centre  of  the  city.  Now,  however,  after  the  heirs  had  executed  a 
conveyance  of  the  property,  so  that  the  society  could  legally  avail  itself 
of  the  bequest,  tlie  question  of  building  was  considered.  The  comer- 
stone  was  laid  July  1st,  1858,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  on 
February  6th,  1859,  the  church  was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  "  the 
one  only  God,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Professor  Bush  delivered  the 
dedicatory  address,  and  his  lecture  in  the  evening  was  the  last  public 
address  given  by  him  before  his  death. 

The  New  York  Society  has  numbered  among  its  members  not  only 
many  earnest,  sincere  New  Churchmen,  but  some  of  reputation  in  the 
secular  world  as  well.  Such  was  Dr.  Hans  B.  Gram,  the  first  homeo- 
pathic physician  to  come  to  this  country.  He  came  in  1825,  settled  in 
New  York,  and  became  a  valuable  member  of  Mr.  Doughty's  society. 

Then  there  was  Samuel  Woodworth,  poet,  publisher,  and  lay  teacher. 
He  was  one  of  tlie  original  four  who  formed  the  first  society.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  General  Convention  and  for  many  years  its 
secretary.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  lost  influence  in  Convention 
because  of  his  disagreement  with  certain  measures  advocated  by  its 
leaders.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  retirement,  but  his  ardent  interest 
was  maintained  to  the  end. 

In  more  modem  times  Charles  A.  Dana,  noted  in  the  literary  world 
and  for  many  years  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Neiv  York  Sun,  was  a 
regular  attendant  at  the  Sunday  services. 

On  the  list  of  subscribers  to  the  building  fund  for  the  present  church 
is  the  name  of  John  Bigelow.  He  is  well  known  for  his  services  to  his 
country  as  ambassador  to  Germany,  but  of  his  warm  interest  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  New  Church  the  world  at  large  is  ignorant.  He  has  written 
several  tracts  and  books  expressive  of  this  interest  and  explanatory  of 
the  New  Church  standpoint.     Of  the  former,  "Resist  Beginnings"  is 

-^  220  }>■- 


THE  NEW  YORK  SOCIETY  — INTRODUCTORY 

a  good  example,  and  the  two  books,  "The  Bible  that  was  Lost  and  is 
Found  "  and  "  The  Mystery  of  Sleep "  are  valuable  contributions  to 
New  Church  literature. 

So,  from  its  humble  beginnings  in  a  downtown  schooUiouse,  the  four 
earnest  members  who  met  there  laid  the  foundations  of  the  present 
society. 

The  fluctuating  character  of  the  population  of  New  York  renders  it 
a  difficult  situation  for  the  establishment  of  a  successful  society.  Many 
people  come  to  the  metropolis,  called  by  business  needs,  for  a  short  time 
only;  many  of  those  who  settle  permanently  live  in  widely  distant  parts 
of  the  city,  so  that  concentration  in  any  one  locality  has  its  difficulties. 
Differences  also  as  to  church  polity  had  had  here,  as  in  Cincinnati  and 
Philadelphia,  a  disintegrating  effect. 

With  the  advent  of  Rev.  Abiel  Silver  the  New  York  people  had  their 
first  resident  minister  for  many  years.  He  was  a  remarkably  clear 
and  convincing  speaker,  and  as  a  pastor  his  earnest  love  for  the  New 
Church  truths  and  his  sympathetic  manner  of  presenting  them  deeply 
attached  the  members  of  the  congregation  to  him  and  knit  them  more 
closely  together.  His  house  in  Thirty-fifth  Street,  not  far  from  the 
church,  was  a  parochial  centre,  and  in  it  were  held  many  delightful 
social  meetings. 

His  daughter.  Miss  Ednah  Silver,  writes  of  the  time:  "It  was  the 
Civil  War  period,  and  the  attention  of  New  Churchmen  was  divided 
between  the  country  and  the  church.  Communication  with  the  South 
was  cut  off,  so  that  the  brethren  north  and  south  of  the  Mason  and 
Dixon  line  knew  but  little  of  each  other.  This  was  a  loss  to  the  church 
at  large." 

The  circumstances  attendant  upon  Mr.  Giles's  going  to  New  York 
exemplify  so  well  a  true  love  for  the  Church  on  the  part  of  all  con- 
cerned that  it  may  be  well  to  go  somewhat  into  detail. 

For  at  least  a  year  before  Mr.  Giles  left  Cincinnati  there  was 
correspondence  between  him  and  Mr.  Hitchcock  relative  to  a  move  to 
New  York.  Mr.  Giles's  deep  attachment  to  the  Cincinnati  Society  and 
his  earnest  wish  to  be  guided  by  the  Divine  Providence  led  him  to 
weigh  carefully  every  aspect  of  the  case  before  decision.  He  not  only 
thought  of  his  own  viewpoint  but  wished  also  to  consider  that  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Silver,  the  pastor  of  the  New  York  Society  at  that  time. 

In  one  of  his  letters  he  writes: 

If  your  society  or  Mr.  Silver  desires  any  change,  it  may  be  that  the 
way  is  opening  for  ihe  removal  of  any  difficulties  with  respect  to  him. 

-*4  221  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

It  has  come  to  my  knowledge  within  a  few  days  that  the  society  at  Wil- 
mington greatly  desires  to  get  him  back,  again.  They  like  him  better 
than  any  minister  they  have  ever  had  and  think  him  peculiarly  fitted 
for  their  wants.  This  I  have  from  an  undoubted  authority.  They  were 
very  much  surprised  and  grieved  when  he  left,  and  I  have  heard  that 
Mr.  Silver  has  said  that  he  would  never  have  left  Wilmington  if  he 
had  known  how  much  they  were  attached  to  liini.  Tliey  will  probably 
open  a  correspondence  with  him  immediately  to  see  if  it  is  possible  to 
get  him  back  again.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  he  may  not  entertain 
the  idea. 

So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  wish  it  distinctly  understood  that  I  have 
no  desire  to  supplant  Mr.  Silver  or  to  procure  or  hasten  his  removal 
from  New  York.  I  esteem  him  very  highly  as  a  good  and  useful 
minister,  and  I  would  not  interfere  with  him  in  any  way.  There  is 
nothing  gained  by  plucking  fruit  before  it  is  ripe.  The  Divine  Provi- 
dence opens  every  useful  and  proper  way  for  us  to  work:  all  that  we 
have  to  do  is  to  follow  the  open  path  and  do  the  work.  If  they  should 
invite  Mr.  Silver  to  return  to  Wilmington  and  he  knew  the  exact  state 
of  feeling  in  both  societies,  he  might  think  it  best  to  accept  the  invita- 
tion, and  then  the  way  would  be  open  for  your  society  to  take  such 
action  for  supplying  his  place  as  it  deemed  best. 

As  nothing  was  yet  decided  diis  correspondence  was  at  the  time  con- 
fidential. The  proverbial  "  little  bird,"  however,  whispered  something 
of  the  nature  of  this  correspondence  to  Mr.  Silver,  who  some  time 
after  sent  in  his  resignation  to  the  New  York  Society,  so  that  its  people 
might  freely  express  their  preference. 

Tliere  were  many  who  were  warmly  attached  to  Mr.  Silver  and  wished 
him  to  remain.  Indeed,  after  the  meeting  in  the  vestry  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject,  Mr.  Hitchcock,  who  was  the  prime  mover  in  the 
invitation  to  Mr.  Giles,  went  to  Mr.  Silver  and  said:  "Mr.  Silver,  I 
wanted  Giles  and  I  thought  every  one  wanted  him.  Stay  and  I  will 
work  just  as  hard  for  you  as  I  would  for  him." 

"  But  [to  quote  from  Miss  Silver]  my  father  felt  it  best  to  remain 
by  his  determination.  In  fact,  circumstances  seemed  to  point  that  way. 
In  a  letter  to  the  society  he  told  them  that  he  was  getting  on  in  years, 
he  had  had  warnings  of  overwork  in  publishing  his  books  and  the  geo- 

-4  222  ^.- 


THE  NEW  YORK  SOCIETY  — INTRODUCTORY 

graphical  area  of  the  parish  was  very  large.  Members  were  scattered 
from  lower  New  York  to  High  Bridge,  were  in  Staten  Island,  Long 
Island,  and  New  Jersey. 

"  Putting  it  thus,  and  quite  sincerely,  on  entirely  impersonal  grounds, 
he  helped  to  make  the  people  as  united  as  possible  in  their  welcome  to 
Mr.  Giles,  for  whom  he  said  many  a  good  word." 

In  one  of  Mr.  Hitchcock's  letters  to  Mr.  Giles  he  mentioned  the  deep 
regret  felt  by  many  at  Mr.  Silver's  departure.  In  reply,  Mr.  Giles 
wrote : 

Yours  of  the  15th  has  just  come  to  hand.  I  am  not  surprised  but 
rather  gratified  at  the  feeling  of  your  people  toward  Mr.  Silver.  He 
is  a  most  excellent  man  and  possesses  those  kind  and  gentle  qualities 
which  would  naturally  endear  him  to  a  large  part  of  the  congregation; 
it  is  creditable  to  them  that  they  could  not  give  him  up  without  much 
reluctance.  I  like  Mr.  Silver  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  any  minister  in 
the  Church,  and  I  think  he  has  been  and  still  is  among  the  most  useful 
of  them.  I  have  no  doubt  he  has  been  of  great  use  to  your  people,  and 
I  feel  much  more  confidence  in  accepting  a  call  from  them  than  I 
should  if  I  knew  they  did  not  like  him. 

Mr.  Silver  went  to  New  York  in  May,  1860,  and  left  in  May,  1864, 
for  Wilmington,  his  former  pastorate.  He  was  warmly  beloved  by 
every  society  under  his  charge.  It  would  be  pleasant  and  exceptionally 
interesting  to  tell  of  the  manner  of  his  coming  into  the  New  Church, 
but  as  Miss  Silver  relates  it  in  her  account  of  some  of  the  early  New 
Church  people  it  seems  best  not  to  repeat  the  incident. 

Thus,  with  the  best  interests  of  the  New  Church  at  heart,  these  two 
good  men  began  their  pastorates  in  different  fields  of  labor. 


-Hsf  223  )S^- 


CHAPTER   X 

New  York  Pastorate,  1864-1870 

T 

X  o  go  from  a  city  in  which  one  has  warm  friends  everywhere,  from 
a  neighborhood  in  which  all  are  at  least  acquaintances,  and  most 
friends,  to  the  more  formal  life  of  the  great  metropolis,  was  a  change 
to  all  of  the  family  and  difficult  of  adjustment.  To  each  one  there  was 
a  sense  of  social  loss  in  the  new  life  in  New  York.  But  youth  is  elastic, 
and  readily  adapts  itself  to  new  conditions.  As  to  my  parents,  their 
vitally  essential  motive  of  life  was  to  promote  the  welfare  and  growth 
of  the  New  Church;  so  the  strangeness  of  their  surroundings  and  their 
comparative  isolation,  so  to  speak,  in  a  great  city  did  not  matter. 

The  family  was  established  at  43  East  Thirty-third  Street,  the  house, 
one  of  a  block  of  English  basement  houses.  Private  stables  extended 
from  our  house  to  the  comer  of  Park  Avenue.  Nearly  opposite  was  a 
foundry  used  by  the  New  York  and  New  Haven  railroad  for  repairing 
its  old  locomotives.  The  present  Park  Avenue  Hotel  now  occupies  this 
ground. 

From  the  Thirty-fourth  Street  opening  of  the  tunnel  which  extends 
under  Park  Avenue  from  Forty-second  Street  issued  singly  and  drawn 
by  horses  the  cars  of  the  Boston  trains.  They  moved  slowly  down 
Fourth  Avenue  to  the  depot  at  Twenty-seventh  Street,  at  which  place 
the  passengers  debarked. 

There  were  very  few  houses  on  Park  Avenue  above  Thirty-fourth 
Street,  and  the  little  parks  which  give  the  avenue  its  name  were  choked 
with  weeds.  The  neighborhood  was  a  good  one  notwithstanding  these 
drawbacks.  The  family  much  enjoyed  the  purer,  cooler  air  of  New 
York  with  its  freedom  from  coal  dust. 

On  May  15th,  1864,  Father  writes:  "Preached  my  first  sermon  in 
the  great  babel  of  New  York.     133d  Psalm." 

The  New  York  Society  had  offered  its  church  to  Convention  and  that 
body  met  in  it  June  8th.  Twelve  years  before  this  the  New  York  people 
had  withdrawn  from  Convention.  Some  one  remarked  to  Mr.  Giles 
soon  after  his  arrival:  "You  need  not  expect  to  induce  this  society  to 
join  the  Convention;  it  never  will."  To  which  he  replied:  "I  shall  not 
try,  but  you  will  do  it."     A  year  later  the  society,  with  others  in  the 

-'<{  224  ^-.- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1864-1870 

neighborhood,  formed  the  New  York  Association,  which  after  another 
year  united  with  the  general  body  of  the  church. 

During  the  hot  weather  many  of  the  parishioners  were  away  for  the 
summer  months.  Services  were  held  every  Sunday,  but  few  attended. 
In  the  autumn  the  really  active  work  of  the  society  began. 

The  season  opened  with  a  series  of  lectures  in  October  which  con- 
tinued until  March.  It  was  the  most  successful  course  Mr.  Giles  had 
ever  delivered.  There  were  good  audiences  who  were  profoundly  in- 
terested. Eleven  of  the  lectures  were  printed  and  circulated  and 
sent  to  many  societies.  Three  of  these  lectures  were  on  "  New  Disclo- 
sures of  Divine  Truth";  "The  First  and  Second  Death";  "The 
New  Church,  a  New  Dispensation  of  Divine  Truth."  There  were 
crowded  houses  to  listen  to  tlie  course  on  the  Spiritual  World.  Some 
of  the  subjects  were  "  Death  and  the  Resurrection,"  "  The  World  of 
Spirits,"  "  Preparedness  for  Heaven,"  "  The  Incarnation,"  "  Christ's 
Sufferings  and  Their  Relation  to  Human  Salvation,"  etc.  These  lec- 
tures were  repeated  in  Hoboken  and  in  December,  1864,  Mr.  Giles 
gave  tliree  of  them  in  Mount  Vernon. 

This  series  of  discourses  is  memorable  not  because  of  dieir  tempo- 
rary success,  which  was  great,  but  because  some  of  them  formed  the 
basis  of  the  well-known  book,  "  The  Nature  of  Spirit,  or  Man  as  a  Spir- 
itual Being."     Mr.  Giles  writes  of  the  lectures: 

The  society  here  has  adopted  a  little  different  course  from  any  I 
have  ever  seen  tried  before.  They  printed  two  thousand  circulars  and 
placed  a  number  of  them  in  the  seats  of  the  church  and  I  asked  the 
people  to  read  and  circulate  them. 

The  day  before  the  lectures  began  some  of  these  circulars  were  dis- 
tributed to  every  house  in  the  vicinity  of  the  church.  The  result  was 
that  the  church  aisles  and  the  vestibule  were  jammed  and  some  people 
went  away.  The  next  night  was  very  stormy,  but  the  house  was  com- 
pactly filled  and  last  night  we  had  another  jam.  They  had  the  first 
lecture  printed  during  the  week,  and  on  the  Sabbath  I  announced  the 
fact  and  invited  any  one  who  chose  to  take  a  copy.  They  were  placed 
in  the  vestibule;  five  hundred  copies  were  soon  taken.  Tlie  next  lecture 
was  also  printed  and  distributed  in  the  same  way.  The  third  one  will 
be  printed  this  week.  So  far  the  effect  has  been  to  collect  one  of  the 
most  intelligent  audiences  I  ever  addressed. 

-•^H  225  H*" 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

After  the  first  three  lectures  were  pulilishcd  I  thought  I  would  wait 
until  tile  whole  course  was  completed  and  then  puhlish  them  in  a  book, 
but  there  is  so  much  demand  for  them  that  it  was  thought  best  to  print 
them  separately.  There  are  some  advantages  in  this.  They  are  more 
convenient  for  distribution,  and  often  a  person  will  read  a  small  pam- 
phlet wlien  he  would  not  read  a  book.  They  are  being  circulated 
tlirough  the  country  very  extensively. 

I  delivered  a  funeral  discourse  in  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  church  last 
Sabbath  afternoon.  Beecher  intended  to  be  there  and  take  part  in  the 
services  but  he  was  called  away.     So  tlie  work  goes  on. 

Certainly  the  book  on  "  The  Nature  of  Spirit "  is  the  work  by  which 
Mr.  Giles  is  best  known.  And  yet  it  is  a  curious  fact  tliat  in  the  minor 
notice  given  him  in  Warner's  "  World's  Best  Authors"  he  is  mentioned 
only  as  a  writer  of  children's  stories. 

In  May,  1865,  these  lectures  were  repeated  in  New  Haven,  the  first 
New  Church  discourses  ever  given  there.    Mr.  Giles  wrote: 

The  New  Church  friends  were  quite  happily  disappointed  at  finding 
so  many  persons  present.  I  don't  think  they  expected  more  than  a 
baker's  dozen. 

The  General  Convention  of  1865  was  held  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Giles 
writes  from  here  June  17tJi: 

It  is  now  Saturday,  five  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  I  have  a  moment  to  write 
before  going  into  committee.  It  has  been  an  intensely  hot  day.  I  long 
to  breathe  the  air  of  New  York  again.  I  have  been  at  work  ever  since 
four  o'clock  this  morning.  The  resolutions  on  the  state  of  the  country 
were  put  upon  me  again  and  they  are  the  most  difficult  to  write  of  any, 
but  diey  gave  general  satisfaction. 

On  the  whole  I  think  we  have  had  a  pleasant  and  useful  Convention. 
There  have  been  some  sharp  debates,  but  good  feeling  has  prevailed 
and  I  think  much  good  has  been  done.  I  made  a  speech  yesterday  on 
the  duty  of  raising  $20,000  for  the  Publishing  House  in  New  York. 
Mrs.  H.  says  I  am  the  most  splendid  beggar  she  ever  saw. 

After  Convention  he  visited  Cincinnati.  Here  Mr.  Giles  and  his 
daughter  Lucy  were  most  warmly  greeted  by  their  old  friends.     They 

-^  226  ^•- 


NEW   YORK    PASTORATE,    1864-1870 

took  tea  at  one  place,  spent  the  night  at  another,  and  even  breakfasted 
at  a  third  in  order  to  fill  their  engagements.  After  describing  his  visit 
in  detail,  he  says: 

I  hope  you  are  all  well  and  not  so  tired  as  I  am.  I  have  been  going, 
going,  until  I  am  almost  gone.  Cincinnati  is  hot,  dirty,  and  smoky, 
but  there  are  a  great  many  pleasant  people  in  it. 

Encouraged  by  the  interest  in  the  lectures  given  the  previous  year, 
the  New  York  society  hired  the  great  hall  of  Cooper  Union  for  three 
successive  Sundays.  The  subjects  of  these  lectures  were  "  Death," 
"Tlie  Resurrection  of  Man,"  and  "The  Life  of  Man  after  Death." 
Later  were  given  lectures  on  "  Swedenborg  "  and  "  The  New  Church, 
a  New  Dispensation  of  Divine  Truth."     Father  writes  in  October: 

We  are  making  arrangements  to  deliver  three  lectures  in  the  great 
hall  of  Cooper  Union.  It  will  hold  three  thousand  people,  and  I  hardly 
think  we  can  fill  it. 

The  attendance  was  very  good,  however,  and  the  lectures  excited 
much  attention  in  the  papers  and  elsewhere.  Some  people  were  brought 
into  the  society,  but  the  most  obvious  effect  was  the  use  served  in  bring- 
ing the  New  Church  views  before  the  public,  to  whom  they  had  been  but 
little  known.    In  writing  to  a  friend  Mr.  Giles  says: 

I  have  written  and  published  this  winter  an  amount  of  matter  equal 
to  a  12mo.  volume. 

It  was  in  this  year  (1865)  that  Mr.  Giles,  in  association  with  Mr. 
Thomas  Hitchcock,  edited  the  New  Jerusalem  Messenger.  This  was 
very  engrossing  work  and  added  greatly  to  his  labors.  Besides  his 
duties  as  editor,  he  had  also  llio  details  of  proof-reading  and  the  gen- 
eral make-up  of  the  paper.  To  complete  the  latter  he  frequently  had 
to  provide  personally  much  copy  in  addition  to  the  editorial  leaders. 

To  edit  a  weekly  paper,  a  magazine  for  chililren,  and  lo  speak  al- 
ways twice  and  often  three  times  on  Sunday,  was  no  small  task.  When 
one  remembers  that  Mr.  Giles  was  a  sufferer  from  rheuinatism  (for 
forty  years  he  diil  not  know  what  it  was  to  be  free  from  pain),  that  there 
were  frequent  headaches  and,  worse  than  these,  a  constant  noise  at  the 
base  of  the  brain  like  the  croaking  of  frogs,  when  one  remembers  these 

-•.!:■{  227  )>;*•- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

handicaps,  his  industry  was  remarkable.  A  friend  said  once  lliat 
other  people  did  not  learn  the  lesson  of  patience  from  Mr.  Giles's  en- 
durance of  pain  which  they  should  because  he  bore  it  as  if  it  did  not 
exist. 

Of  Mr.  Hitchcock's  articles  he  writes  to  Mr.  Williams: 

How  do  you  like  the  editorials  signed  "T.  H."?  Tliey  are  certainly 
opening  a  new  vein  for  the  Messenger.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me 
that  one  prominent  use  of  a  New  Church  paper  was  the  discussion  of 
morals  and  the  application  of  spiritual  principles  to  social  and  civil 
duties.  This  would  be  a  much  greater  service  to  humanity  llian  the 
formation  of  new  creeds  or  the  dry  bones  of  merely  doctrinal  truth. 
The  articles  were  written  by  Mr.  Hitchcock  and  are  a  good  illustration 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  way  opens  before  us  when  we  begin  to 
work.  Mr.  Stuart  wanted  some  one  to  report  my*  lectures  and  I  sent 
him  to  Mr.  Hitchcock.  He  commenced,  and  becoming  interested 
thought  he  would  write  an  article;  that  one  suggested  another,  and  I 
do  not  know  when  he  will  stop. 

I  find  myself  more  and  more  inclined  to  use  the  Messenger  to  urge 
practical  work  than  to  state  merely  abstract  propositions.  What  say 
you?  Don't  we  need  more  directness  and  earnestness?  The  more  I 
get  inside  of  the  workings  or  the  non-workings  of  our  affairs,  the  more 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  New  Church  people  need  plain  talk  and  much 
pushing,  and  I  don't  know  but  I  might  do  a  little  of  it  if  I  were  not 
afraid  of  hurting  somebody. 

I  am  disappointed  in  the  twenty  thousand  dollar  movement.  We  may 
succeed,  but  it  is  going  to  hang  and  drag  along.  We  want  five  thou- 
sand dollars  to-day  to  put  the  publishing  room  in  a  condition  to  do  its 
work  properly.  We  ought  to  begin  to  publish  something  more  than 
Swedenborg's  works.  There  are  many  persons  who  think  that  the  lec- 
tures I  delivered  last  winter  ought  to  be  stereotyped.  Many  of  them  are 
out  of  print,  but  there  is  a  constant  call  for  them.  I  am  going  to  revise 
them,  and  if  the  Convention  would  publish  them  it  would  help  along 
so  much.    But  there  are  no  means. 

We  must  have  a  new  edition  of  the  Liturgy  and  of  "  Heaven  and 
Hell,"  but  there  are  no  means.    The  Appletons  offer  us  the  balance  of 

-4  228  ^- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,    1864^1870 

the  edition  of  Mr.  Silver's  lectures  at  such  a  rate  that  we  could  make  a 
handsome  profit  upon  it,  but  there  are  no  means  to  purchase  it.  And  so 
we  go  grinding  from  hand  to  moutli  with  our  heads  just  above  water, 
because  the  church  will  not  give  us  what  is  necessary  to  do  our  work. 
If  you  can  raise  anything  in  Urbana,  send  it  on.  One  dollar  now  will 
be  much  more  than  a  dollar  at  the  end  of  the  year.  I  am  afraid  I  am 
getting  impatient  and  cross.  Cant  you  throw  a  little  oil  on  the  troubled 
waters? 

In  this  correspondence  with  Mr.  Williams  many  phases  of  the  work 
of  tlie  Church  are  discussed.  During  the  Civil  War  the  school  in  Urbana 
was  closed.    Of  this  action  Mr.  Giles  approved: 

I  think  you  have  acted  wisely  about  the  college.  It  would  have  been 
too  great  a  load  to  carry  to  attempt  any  movement  this  year.  It  is 
better  to  be  still  awhile  than  to  waste  strength  by  spasmodic  efforts  to 
do  impossible  things.  The  time  must  come  when  the  right  man  will 
be  found  for  that  place,  and  when  there  will  be  no  insurmountable 
obstacle,  internal  or  external,  to  the  success  of  the  college. 

Sometimes  the  letters  are  in  a  jocose  vein: 

I  understand  Mr.  Sewall  is  going  to  Europe  in  a  few  weeks  and  that 
Mr.  Hayden  will  supply  his  place  when  he  is  gone.  Wliat  will  you  do 
at  Urbana?  I  think  you  would  better  renew  your  license  and  begin 
preaching.  If  you  will  get  a  respectable  number  of  reputable  people  to 
sign  a  petition  for  a  license,  I  will  give  you  one  for  a  year.  We  will 
give  you  a  fair  trial,  and  if  you  behave  pretty  well  and  do  not  take  too 
many  (we  must  expect  some)  ministerial  airs  upon  yourself  you  may 
get  it  renewed  for  another  year.     Here 's  a  chance  for  you. 

I  really  do  not  know  what  title  to  give  you,  whether  Prof.,  Mr., 
Esq.,  Capt.,  or  Col.  In  these  warlike  times  one  is  less  likely  to  go 
amiss  by  giving  a  military  title  than  any  other.  But  I  have  not  heard 
of  your  getting  a  commission  or  even  of  being  a  "  high  private."  Once 
a  bishop,  always  a  bishop,  they  say.  According  to  the  same  rule  it 
ought  to  be,  "once  a  professor,  always  a  professor."  How  is  it?  You 
might  not  like  to  be  addressed  as  plain  Mr.  after  having  been  a  tilled 

-4  229  }>'- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

dignitary,  so  in  this  wonderful  state  of  affairs  I  have  concluded  to  be 
civil  and  give  you  a  civil  title.    If  I  am  wrong,  please  set  me  right. 

"Boston  is  the  Hub  of  the  Universe."  So  says  the  Professor,  and, 
notwithstanding  your  apparent  indifference  to  titles,  I  think  I  under- 
stand tlie  sly  hint  about  the  Athens  of  America  being  authority,  "  hence 
die  professor."  I  consider  the  important  question  settled,  and  I  pro- 
ceed to  other  matters  of  lesser  note. 

In  one  of  his  letters  a  reference  is  made  to  the  formation  of  a  New 
Church  Historical  Library,  now  an  accomplished  fact. 

A  little  done  every  year  will  in  half  a  century  produce  great  results. 
One  object  I  had  in  view  in  moving  the  resolutions  was  to  preserve  the 
papers,  pamphlets,  sermons,  and  various  editions  of  the  works  of 
Swedenborg,  and  the  collateral  works  as  samples  of  our  own  work  and 
materials  for  the  full  understanding  and  growth  of  the  Church.  I 
doubt  whether  the  Convention  has  now  in  its  possession  a  complete  set 
of  its  own  edition  of  the  "  Arcana." 

In  February,  1866,  he  writes: 

I  have  never  seen  so  much  interest  in  the  New  Church  doctrines  as 
there  is  now.  Our  house  is  crowded  morning  and  evening,  and  there 
is  a  kind  of  absorbed  attention  which  I  have  never  noticed  before.  I  am 
trying  to  do  what  I  can.  I  have  delivered  nearly  thirty  discourses  this 
winter  outside  of  my  own  church,  but  the  little  we  can  do  seems  almost 
nothing.  I  think  our  people  are  beginning  to  awake  to  their  social 
duties.  Our  last  sociable  at  Everett  Hall  was  rather  a  grand  affair. 
There  were  over  four  hundred  present  and  I  have  never  seen  a  more 
orderly  and  happy  assembly.  On  the  whole,  things  look  very  prosper- 
ous here. 

With  regard  to  social  life,  Mr.  Giles  had  very  decided  views.  If  the 
principles  he  advocated  were  always  put  in  practice,  there  never  would 
be  an  unsuccessful  party  and  merely  perfunctory  social  intercourse 
would  be  an  impossibility.  He  disliked  to  hear  any  one  say,  "I  have 
enjoyed  myself  very  much."  He  said,  "  One  does  not  go  out  to  enjoy 
'  one's  self '  but  others^    When  one  goes  into  company  he  should  do  so 

-^  230  )•>=- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1864-1870 

with  the  thought  of  bringing  his  best  as  a  contribution  to  the  general 
entertainment.  If  he  sees  another  shy  or  withdrawn  into  a  comer,  a 
kind  word  or  some  tactful  effort  to  bring  him  into  the  circle  should  be 
used. 

With  regard  to  cooperation  with  others  in  work,  he  says: 
There  is  no  use  in  finding  fault  with  other  people.     If  any  man  has 
the  will  or  power  to  do  anytliing  let  him  go  and  do  it,  and  if  he  can  do 
it  more  efficiently  than  any  one  else  so  much  the  better. 

When  the  New  York  Association  met  in  May,  1866,  a  vote  was  taken 
to  join  the  Convention.  Mr.  Giles  had  hoped  that  the  holding  of  Con- 
vention in  New  York  by  invitation  of  the  Association  might  naturally 
lead  to  this  result  and  he  was  much  gratified. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  some  relatives  of  my  mother's,  who  owned  a 
small  house  in  Conway,  Massachusetts,  died.  The  surviving  cousins 
offered  the  furnished  house  to  us  for  the  summer,  and  the  family  thus 
had  its  first  long  vacation.  Conway  is  a  small  village  about  six  miles 
from  Soudi  Deerfield.  The  railway  did  not  pass  through  it  at  that 
time,  and  one  arrived  by  means  of  the  stagecoach  which  ran  daily  from 
South  Deerfield.  One  comes  upon  the  little  hamlet  very  suddenly  after 
a  turn  in  the  road  and  looks  down  upon  tlie  village  street  with  its 
wooden  houses,  partly  concealed  by  the  trees  and  gardens  which  sur- 
round them.  It  is  a  pleasant  little  place  and  our  summer  there  was 
one  of  keen  enjoyment.  To  the  children,  the  free  life  of  tlie  country 
was  a  delightful  change  after  the  heat,  dust,  and  noise  of  the  city.  To 
my  father  tliere  was  the  additional  pleasure  of  revisiting  the  scenes 
of  his  boyhood  and  of  showing  them  to  my  mother.  Charlemont,  my 
father's  native  place,  was  within  driving  distance.  It  was  my  privilege 
as  a  little  girl  to  be  allowed  to  sit  on  a  "  cricket "  in  the  front  of  the 
buggy  which  conveyed  my  parents  through  this  very  interesting  region. 
Both  my  mother  and  father  were  ardent  lovers  of  nature.  Their  com- 
ments on  the  many  beauties  of  that  picturesque  country  did  much  to 
cultivate  and  awaken  my  own  love  of  fine  scenery,  and  tlie  frequent 
and  perfectly  unconscious  way  in  which  their  admiration  would  turn 
from  "  nature  to  nature's  God  "  made  likewise  its  deep  impression.  In 
driving  through  Franklin  County  they  would  often  stop  before  farms 
on  which  Father  hail  worketl  when  a  boy.  There  were  always  inter- 
esting incidents  of  iiis  own  experience  to  relate  or  some  graphic  char- 
acter sketch  of  the  farmer's  family. 

-*4  231  )•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

We  had  just  forded  the  clear  and  stony  Deerfield  River  and  entered 
the  village  of  Charlemont,  when  we  were  suddenly  stopped  by  a  man 
who  said,  "  Why,  Chauncey  Giles,  how  do  you  do?  "  This  man  had 
not  seen  my  father  since  he  was  a  boy,  but  recognized  him  from  his 
close  resemblance  to  his  own  father  at  the  same  age. 

I  well  remember  when  we  drove  to  a  modest  white  cottage  with  a  lilac 
bush  at  the  door,  [the  home  of  his  boyhood]  how  Father  said,  "  Here 
it  is."  Then,  after  an  interval  of  silence,  in  a  feeling  tone  of  sadness, 
"How  hard  my  mother  worked!  How  hard  she  worked!"  And  then 
we  drove  on  and  dined  with  an  uncle;  we  had  previously  spent  the  night 
with  some  cousins.  They  had  family  prayers  of  strictly  orthodox 
length  and  character  and  I  remember  that  Father  said,  "  They  are  con- 
tent in  their  religion;  it  is  best  not  to  disturb  tlieni,"  to  which  my 
mother  agreed. 

Many  years  later  I  revisited  these  scenes,  and  the  uncle  with  whom 
we  dined  that  day  gave  me  much  interesting  information  with  regard 
to  Fatlier's  parents,  his  boyhood,  etc. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July  Mr.  Giles  went  from  Conway  to  Williams- 
town  to  attend  a  reunion  of  his  class.    This  he  much  enjoyed. 

To  live  in  Conway,  even  for  the  summer  months,  was  very  like  re- 
visiting the  rural  New  England  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  books.  The  ideas  and 
customs  of  the  people  had  changed  very  little  since  my  father's  boyhood. 

The  daily  arrival  of  the  stagecoach  was  the  one  stirring  event,  —  the 
village's  sole  means  of  contact  with  the  outer  world.  There  were  three 
church  services  on  Sunday,  with  prayers  and  sermons  of  typically  old- 
fashioned  length.  Those  who  came  from  a  distance  brought  their  din- 
ners and  ate  tliem  at  the  noon  hour,  according  to  old  New  England 
custom.  The  Sabbath  was  very  strictly  observed.  It  was  even  con- 
sidered wicked  to  take  a  walk  anywhere  on  diat  day  except  to  the 
cemetery. 

A  singing  school  of  the  do-re-mi  tuning  fork  kind  met  once  a  week, 
and  it  was  one  of  my  childhood's  pleasures  to  attend  it. 

One  modem  wave  of  recreation  had  managed  to  flow  over  this 
stranded  village,  —  the  game  of  croquet,  which  had  that  summer 
spread  rapidly  over  the  country.  The  wickets  were  laid  out  in  the 
schoolhouse  yard,  and  my  father  took  great  pleasure  in  playing  the 
game  and  derived  much  benefit  from  it.  It  was  a  memorable  summer 
to  the  family,  and  a  happy  one. 

On  January  28tli,  1867,  Mr.  Giles,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Williams,  out- 
lines his  conception  of  a  possible  Theological  School : 

-4,  232  }3«- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1864-1870 

I  tliink  a  city  or  close  proximity  to  one  a  better  location  for  such  a 
school  than  the  country,  because  there  are  many  tilings  that  ought  to 
be  taught  which  could  be  done  by  teachers  engaged  especially  for  the 
occasion.  This  could  not  be  so  well  done  in  the  country.  I  do  not  think 
it  is  wise  to  spend  much  time  upon  the  falsities  of  the  old  theology,  but 
I  would  have  a  very  thorough  instruction  in  some  things  which  are  not 
commonly  taught  in  such  schools. 

There  should  be  a  pretty  thorough  course  in  physiology,  vegetable 
and  animal,  for  spiritual  things  must  be  illustrated  by  natural.  Provi- 
sion should  be  made  for  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin  languages,  witli  special  reference  to  the  Word  and  to  the 
writings  of  Swedenborg.  I  do  not  care  so  much  about  any  of  these 
languages  in  their  merely  classical  aspects  and  bearings.  The  Word 
itself  should  be  read  in  the  most  thorough  manner,  and  so  should  the 
writings  of  Swedenborg. 

The  philosophy  of  the  New  Church  should  be  taught  fully  and  effi- 
ciently. The  "  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom  "  and  "  Divine  Providence  " 
should  be  studied  and  made  the  bases  of  courses  of  lectures  until  the 
great  principles  which  they  contain  are  understood  by  all  who  have 
brains  to  understand  them,  and  those  who  have  not  should  become  shoe- 
makers and  tailors. 

Then  comes  the  science  of  Correspondences,  which  involves  the  rela- 
tion of  the  spiritual  world  to  the  natural  —  and  some  other  things.  "  It 
is  the  science  of  sciences." 

Then  I  would  have  the  students  thoroughly  trained  in  speaking. 
There  should  be  a  daily  exercise  in  which  every  mother's  son  of  them 
should  speak  extempore,  say  five  minutes,  upon  some  doctrine.  Tiiere 
should  be  thorough  vocal  culture,  etc. 

There  would  be  the  "  mint,  and  anise,  and  cummin  "  of  many  other 
things,  but  "these  weightier  matters  of  the  law"  and  judgment  should 
receive  the  first  attention. 

I  am  afraid  I  have  frightened  you  by  the  extent  of  my  plan,  but  I 
do  not  believe  that  a  young  man  can  be  thoroughly  trained  for  this 
greatest  and  most  difficult  of  all  employments  in  six  easy  lessons,  or  by 

-4  233  ]^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

listening  to  a  few  old  sermons  that  some  of  our  ministers  have  prepared 
as  soporifics  for  the  congregations.  .   .  . 

We  are  having  bright  and  sharp  winter  weather  here.  We  are  all  in 
good  health.  Our  house  is  well  filled  morning  and  evening,  and  I  am 
trying  to  teach  the  truth  as  well  as  I  can.  But  I  feel  the  need  of  the 
kind  of  thorough  training  which  my  ideal  Theological  School  would 
give,  so  much,  that  if  1  knew  I  could  preach  ten  years  longer  I  believe 
I  should  be  willing  to  spend  three  of  them  in  learning  how  to  do  my 
work  in  the  rest. 

After  discussing  the  advisability  of  purchasing  the  Seminary  build- 
ing for  the  Urbana  school  and  approving  of  doing  it,  he  writes  on 
October  29th,  1867: 

I  find  great  attention  paid  to  the  surroundings  and  external  appear- 
ance of  school  buildings  in  every  place  in  which  education  is  much 
considered.  The  old,  unpainted,  dilapidated,  desolate  schoolhouses 
are  disappearing  and  handsome  structures,  tidy,  attractive,  and  whole- 
some to  every  sense  and  convenient  for  every  use,  are  taking  their 
places.  We  must  put  the  New  Church  into  our  houses  as  well  as  into 
our  heads. 

If  we  expect  to  succeed  in  Urbana  we  must  take  hold  of  the  school 
in  a  different  spirit  from  what  we  have  done.  It  is  easier  to  have  a  good 
and  successful  school  tlian  a  half-a-line  and  very  poor  one. 

In  a  letter  of  December  12th,  1867,  we  find  the  first  mention  of  one 
of  his  books  for  children  —  "The  Wonderful  Pocket."     He  writes: 

Can't  you  dispose  of  some  copies  of  my  little  book  for  Christmas 
presents?  1  am  anxious  to  have  Putnam  sell  as  many  as  he  can  to  en- 
courage him  to  go  ahead  and  publish  a  series.  It  is  out  to-day  and  is 
a  very  pretty  book.  I  can  speak  of  the  "  getting-up  "  of  the  book  with- 
out hesitation.    The  stories  themselves  are  no  worse  than  many  others. 

The  general  health  of  the  family  was  much  better  in  New  York  than 
in  Cincinnati.  There  were,  however,  severe  trials  in  the  East  as  well 
as  in  the  West.  Such  was  the  very  serious  illness  of  Lucy  Giles  in  the 
spring  of  1867. 

-4  234  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1864^1870 

In  August  of  this  year  Mr.  Giles  made  a  short  visit  to  Fire  Island, 
then  a  fashionable  seaside  resort.  He  thus  comments  on  some  of  the 
visitors  to  the  place: 

It  is  useful  to  see  how  other  people  in  external  conditions  different 
from  our  own,  act  and  feel.  Rich  people  often  assume  a  great  deal 
of  superiority  on  account  of  tlieir  wealth.  They  think  it  gives  them 
some  advantage  and  makes  them  better,  and  others  are  apt  to  accept 
their  own  estimate  of  tlieir  superiority.  But  if  we  grant  that  their  ideas 
are  true,  which  they  are  not,  those  who  are  occupying  honorable  profes- 
sions are  fully  on  an  equality  with  them.  It  is  best,  however,  to  forget 
our  outward  conditions  as  far  as  possible  and  to  feel  kindly  towards 
all,  and  to  act  out  our  kind  feelings  freely  to  one  person  as  much  as  to 
anotlier  when  opportunity  offers. 

If  you  could  see  what  poverty  of  soul  those  people  have  who  think 
they  are  better  because  they  have  more  money  than  others  and  what  a 
broken  reed  their  wealth  is,  I  am  sure  you  would  not  be  oppressed  by 
tlieir  money  or  their  manners,  but  would  feel  the  same  freedom  to  do 
them  any  good  that  you  would  any  person  in  the  humblest  walk  of  life. 

Besides  his  regular  duties  as  pastor  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Street  Society, 
with  the  sermons  and  lectures  delivered  in  that  church,  it  was  usual 
every  year  for  Mr.  Giles  to  give  lectures  in  the  suburbs  of  New  York 
and  outlying  towns.  To  combine  the  changes  of  car,  stage,  and  ferry 
was  not  always  easy  in  that  city  of  great  distances.  The  accidents 
which  ensue  might  occur  to  any  one  at  any  time,  but  they  are  chiefly 
interesting  because  of  Mr.  Giles's  attitude  of  mind  toward  them. 

The  following  is  dated  December  2,  1867: 

I  had  a  very  hard  day's  work  yesterday  and  did  not  accomplish  any- 
thing. In  the  first  place,  my  sermon  was  a  failure.  Then  I  attended 
the  funeral  of  a  little  child  and,  of  course,  came  home  very  tired.  I 
had  agreed  to  lecture  in  Newark  in  the  evening  and  I  reached  the  ferry 
about  a  minute  too  late.  I  ran  from  the  Park  down  to  the  foot  of  Court- 
land  Street,  and  when  I  found  that  the  boat  was  gone  I  was  very  much 
disappointed.  Another  train  left  in  an  hour,  however,  and  I  deter- 
mined to  remain  and  take  that,  though  it  would  land  me  in  Newark  half 

-4  235  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

an  hour  after  the  time  for  the  meeting,  but  I  thought  the  audience  might 
possibly  wait,  thinking  that  I  would  come  on  that  train.  As  this  was  a 
Sunday  train,  bound  for  Washington,  I  could  not  buy  a  ticket  for 
Newark,  and  I  could  not  go  into  the  inclosure  where  the  cars  were 
without  a  ticket.  But  I  managed  to  get  in  without  being  seen  and 
sat  in  a  cold  car  nearly  an  hour.  The  conductor  took  my  money  and 
said  not  a  word.  When  I  reached  Newark  I  did  not  know  which  way 
to  go.  I  soon  found  I  had  half  a  mile  to  walk.  I  walked  and  ran  as 
fast  as  I  could,  and  when  I  reached  the  hall  I  found  it  shut  and  dark.  I 
had  taken  no  money  with  me  except  just  enough  to  get  there  and  back. 
I  did  not  feel  able  to  walk  to  Mr.  G.  W.  S's,  so  I  inquired  the  way  to 
a  Mr.  S's,  whose  child  I  had  baptized,  and  there  I  received  a  very 
cordial  welcome,  a  glass  of  wine,  and  some  oysters.  I  learned  from 
them  that  the  hall  was  crowded  with  a  very  intelligent-looking  congre- 
gation. This,  of  course,  added  to  my  disappointment.  It  was  the  first 
of  a  course  of  six  lectures  and  great  pains  had  been  taken  to  advertise 
it.  I  suppose  some  evil  is  to  be  prevented  or  some  good  done,  and  I 
submit,  though,  I  am  afraid,  with  a  poorer  grace  than  usual. 

Life  in  the  cosmopolitan  city  of  New  York  stretched  out  in  many 
directions  and  very  unexpected  demands  were  made  upon  the  time  of 
a  minister  residing  there.  Friends  from  other  parts  of  the  country 
would  ask  Mr.  Giles  "  just  to  step  into  Wall  Street  and  purchase  stock 
for  them,"  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  seat  of  operations  was  three 
miles  from  his  home. 

Then  there  were  the  impostors,  whose  names  were  legion.  For  some 
reason  they,  according  to  their  own  accounts,  usually  came  from  Bos- 
ton. Through  misfortunes  they  were  temporarily  out  of  money.  They 
knew  Rev.  Thomas  Worcester,  Mr.  Sampson  Reed,  Mr.  David  L. 
Webster,  and  other  prominent  New  Churchmen  of  the  Hub.  They  only 
wanted  a  loan,  just  enough  to  pay  their  fares;  the  money  would  cer- 
tainly be  returned  on  their  arrival,  etc. 

There  was  an  Indian  princess  who  frequently  called.  She  was  a 
very  picturesque  figure  —  by  no  means  an  impostor  —  clad  in  full 
Indian  costume  of  brilliant  colors  and  elaborately  embroidered  with 
beads.  She  was  a  royal  member  of  the  tribe  of  Seminoles,  in  deep  dis- 
tress, the  nature  of  which,  as  it  was  confidential,  we  did  not  know. 

Many  were  the  couples  who  came  to  Mr.  Giles's  study  to  be  married. 

-4  236  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1864^1870 

Besides  these  more  or  less  legitimate  interruptions,  there  were  the  ex- 
asperatingly  trivial  ones  —  people  who  wanted  to  sell  things,  people 
who  came  to  call  and  talked  a  long  time  about  nothing,  when  perhaps 
a  sermon  was  under  progress  or  the  Messenger  was  waiting  for  copy. 
Sometimes  the  calls  were  of  great  interest,  as  once  when  the  manager 
of  the  Olympic  Theatre  came  to  ask  Mr.  Giles  to  baptize  a  son  of  Joseph 
Jefferson's.  Mr.  Giles  was  very  glad  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
distinguished  actor.  He  found  he  was  indeed  a  true  New  Churchman 
and  very  much  enjoyed  the  visit  to  his  home.  Years  later  the  writer 
met  Mr.  Jefferson  and  he  expressed  his  warm  admiration  for  Mr. 
Giles's  writings  and  his  respect  for  his  character. 

In  the  autumn  of  1867  certain  lay  teachers  were  licensed,  with  the 
approval  of  tlie  executive  board,  to  lecture  in  the  suburbs  and  adjacent 
cities  of  New  York.  It  was  thought  well,  in  view  of  the  lack  of  minis- 
ters, to  have  some  one  to  follow  up  the  clergyman's  lecture,  also  to  act 
as  an  occasional  substitute  for  the  minister. 

A  year  later  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

We  are  working  about  as  hard  as  we  can  to  get  things  moving  in  New 
York.  Our  meetings  are  well  attended  and  the  attention  is  good.  Our 
lay-lecturers  are  beginning  to  fuul  tliat  lecturing  is  not  all  play.  We 
are  trying  to  do  too  much,  but  I  have  learned  that  the  only  way  to  teach 
grown  people  as  well  as  children  the  evil  of  it  is  to  let  them  see  it. 

He  certainly  was  busy  on  his  own  account.  March  6tli,  1868,  he 
says: 

I  am  delivering  three  discourses  a  week  and  I  am  getting  a  volume 
of  sermons  ready  for  the  press  and  I  have  another  juvenile  nearly  com- 
pleted. These,  with  a  large  number  of  other  things,  keep  me  out  of 
mischief. 

In  1868  the  Children  s  Magazine  was  transferred  to  New  York  with 
Mr.  Giles  as  editor. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  Uie  publication  of  one  of  Mr. 
Giles's  juveniles,  —  "The  Wonderful  Pocket."  "The  Magic  Spec- 
tacles" appeared  not  long  afterwards,  and  in  December,  1868,  "The 
Gate  of  Pearl  "  was  published. 

Tlie  usual  work  of  the  Cliurch  was  carried  on  widi  active  interest  by 

-•ifif  237  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

its  members.     A  mission  Sunday  school  was  begun  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  pupils.    Never  was  tlie  society  in  a  more  flourishing  condition. 

In  1869  Mr.  Giles  was  made  president  of  the  New  Church  Tract 
Society.  About  Uiis  time,  too,  the  Messenger  was  conducted  by  an 
Editorial  Board,  consisting  of  Rev.  Mr.  Ager,  Rev.  Mr.  Hayden,  Mr. 
Scammon,  Mr.  Hitchcock,  and  Mr.  Giles.  There  are  many  matters  of 
interest  concerning  all  the  New  Church  periodicals  in  tliis  long  letter  to 
Mr.  Williams: 

New  York,  March  23,  1870. 

I  think  there  ought  to  be  some  changes  in  our  periodicals.  I  have 
long  advocated  the  conversion  of  the  Magazine  into  a  quarterly  and  the 
appointment  of  Mr.  Hayden  as  editor.  But  die  idea  has  met  with  no 
favor.  It  is  said  a  quarterly  would  not  be  taken  by  any  one  except  min- 
isters and  a  few  of  the  more  literary  members  of  the  church,  and  there 
is  some  truth  in  the  assertion.  The  Boston  people  think  it  should  be 
retained  as  a  monthly  but  have  an  editor,  pay  contributors  as  honest 
journals  do,  and  make  it  more  of  a  literary  and  family  magazine.  I 
think  this  would  be  a  good  idea  if  it  could  be  carried  out.  But  it  will 
take  money  and  that  the  New  Church  people  are  very  slow  to  put  into 
their  periodicals. 

Great  fault  is  found  with  the  Messenger  because  it  is  not  ecclesi- 
astical enough  and  does  not  teach  as  fully  as  it  should  the  doctrines  of 
the  church  as  revealed  truth  and  does  not  refer  enough  to  Swedenborg 
as  "authority."  Mr.  Hibbard  and  Mr.  Sewall  are  the  only  ones  who 
personally  have  found  much  fault  with  us  on  that  score,  but  they  say 
there  is  great  dissatisfaction  in  that  respect.  Mr.  Hitchcock,  as  every 
one  knows,  is  now  virtually  the  editor,  though  Mr.  Ager  and  I  meet 
with  him  every  Monday  morning  to  look  over  the  material  for  the  next 
paper,  and  when  anything  is  handed  in  of  which  we  do  not  approve  we 
rule  it  out.  We  have  spent  a  large  amoimt  of  work  upon  it  the  last 
year.  We  have  done  about  as  well  as  we  could  and  the  result  is  before 
the  Church. 

Now  if  any  way  can  be  devised  to  do  better,  I  should  like  to  have  it 
done,  and  it  would  please  me  to  be  free  from  the  burden  and  responsi- 
bility of  the  paper  entirely.  I  have  occupied  an  anomalous  and  un- 
pleasant position  on  it  from  the  first,  assuming  or  having  put  upon  me 

-4  238  ^'- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,   1864-1870 

a  considerable  degree  of  responsibility  without  much  opportunity  to 
direct  the  paper. 

I  hardly  know  what  ought  to  be  done  with  the  Children's  Magazine, 
—  perhaps  given  up.  There  is  such  strong  competition  in  children's 
magazines  that  it  is  difficult  for  ours  to  maintain  its  place  and  in  any 
way  compete  with  the  capital  and  skill  of  other  publishers.  If  we 
should  advertise  as  largely  as  other  papers  do  it  would  not  help  us 
much.  A  little  that  is  distinctively  New  Church  would  kill  it  all.  In- 
stead of  trying  to  adapt  it  to  outsiders,  my  own  opinion  is  that  it  is 
better  to  make  it  clearly  New  Church,  and  an  instrument  of  initiating 
our  children  into  the  doctrines  and  forms  of  diought  peculiar  to  the 
New  Church.  This  will  keep  its  circulation  quite  limited,  but  it  will 
do  the  work  such  a  magazine  ought  to  do;  and  if  it  had  ever  so  large 
a  circulation  and  failed  in  that  it  would  be  a  total  failure. 


-4  239  jg-- 


A 


CHAPTER    XI 
New  York  Pastorate,  1870-1874 


FAMILY  event  of  great  interest  occurred  on  June  1st,  1870.  Mr. 
Giles's  eldest  son,  Warren,  was  married  in  tlie  Thirty-fiftli  Street  Church 
to  Miss  Mary  Ella  Bennett  of  New  York.  The  ladies  of  the  congrega- 
tion took  great  interest  in  the  occasion  and  decorated  the  church  most 
beautifully  with  flowers. 

In  July  the  family  went  for  the  summer  to  Poultney,  Vermont,  a 
small  village  not  far  from  Rutland  and  near  the  boundary  line  between 
New  York  and  Vermont.  The  house  in  which  they  stayed,  a  large 
building  at  the  head  of  the  village  street,  was  used  by  the  Methodists 
as  a  boarding  school  for  girls  in  the  winter.  There  were  spacious 
grounds  about  it.  Under  the  trees  of  a  maple  grove  a  croquet  set  was 
laid  out,  and  here  my  father  and  others  found  agreeable  exercise  and 
enjoyed  the  fresh,  pure  air. 

Dr.  Newman,  a  Christian  gentleman  of  the  Methodist  faith,  was  at 
the  head  of  the  establishment.  Prayers  were  held  daily,  morning  and 
evening,  and  occasionally  Mr.  Giles  was  asked  to  preach.  My  sister 
writes  of  one  such  occasion: 

Sunday  was  a  rainy,  disagreeable  day.  Father  preached  in  the 
afternoon;  subject,  "Salvation  by  Faith."  I  never  heard  Father  speak 
better.  At  tlie  close  of  the  discourse  Dr.  R.  asked  permission  to  make 
a  few  remarks.  We  all  wondered  what  was  coming,  rather  expecting 
a  denunciation  of  the  doctrines  presented.  He  began  by  giving  his 
"  religious  experience,"  and,  after  telling  his  doubts  and  anxieties,  he 
said  he  had  always  Uiought  of  God  as  a  stern,  implacable  Being,  angry 
with  the  wicked,  and  that  the  prayers  of  sinners  were  an  abomination 
in  His  sight,  but  that  since  coming  here  his  views  had  changed,  thanks 
to  the  books  read  and  conversations  with  this  servant  of  the  Lord  (allud- 
ing to  Father).  He  could  now  return  to  his  work  with  renewed  strength 
and  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  teach  the  beautiful  doctrines  he  had 

-'4_  240  ^- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

learned.    Was  it  not  a  remarkable  confession  for  a  minister  to  make, 
very  gratifying  to  all  the  New  Church  people  here,  especially  Father? 

Mr.  Giles  also  mentions  this.     He  says: 

After  Dr.  R.  sat  down  I  made  a  few  remarks,  and  we  sang  "Jesus, 
Lover  of  my  Soul."  As  soon  as  the  benediction  was  pronounced  a 
number  gatliered  around  me  and  we  talked  until  the  tea  bell  rang  the 
second  time,  and  then  they  seemed  so  reluctant  to  leave  that  we  talked 
some  time  longer. 

In  the  evening  I  had  a  long  conversation  with  Dr.  Newman.  He  said 
we  had  done  much  that  was  worth  while  here  to  interest  people  in  our 
faith  and  to  change  their  opinions  concerning  it. 

Such  indications  of  use  to  the  Church,  even  during  his  periods  of 
recreation,  were  very  encouraging.  Poultney  days  were  always  remem- 
bered with  pleasure  by  the  family.  Because  Mr.  Giles  was  there,  many 
of  his  parishioners  from  Cincinnati,  who  had  come  East  to  escape  the 
heat,  and  friends  from  other  places,  would  stop  for  a  few  days'  visit. 

In  January,  1871,  Mr.  Giles  began  the  series  of  lectures  afterwards 
collected  in  the  little  book,  "Our  Children  in  the  Other  Life."  New 
York  days  were  certainly  as  busy  as  those  of  Cincinnati.  Besides  his 
Messenger  work  and  that  on  the  Children  s  Magazine,  with  the  many 
visits  to  the  Book  Room  whicli  both  entailed,  Mr.  Giles  preached  three 
times  every  Sunday:  in  New  York,  morning  and  evening,  and  in  Jersey 
City  in  the  afternoon.  The  interest  in  the  Church  grew  steadily  in  Jer- 
sey City  and  eventually  a  society  was  formed  there.  Mr.  Giles  was 
chosen  to  be  its  president. 

Even  though  successful,  missionary  work  and  other  uses  for  the 
Church  at  large  were  not  entirely  approved  by  every  one.  There  were 
those  who  thought  Mr.  Giles  should  confine  his  work  more  exclusively 
to  the  society,  visit  the  people  more,  etc.  Several  meetings  were  held 
in  which  these  matters  were  discussed,  and  while  it  was  proposed  that 
Mr.  Giles  should  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  New  York  pastorate,  there 
was  much  deliberation  but  no  definite  decision. 

Mr.  Giles  observes  in  his  diary: 

The  meetings  to  jiromole  efficiency  do  not  seem  to  have  amounted  to 
much.  Many  persons  think  tliere  is  a  covert  movement  to  drive  me 
away  from  New  York.  • 

-4  241  }3#- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Then,  in  February,  1871,  came  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hitchcock,  in  which 
he  addressed  Mr.  Giles  as  "Sir,"  and  curtly  requested  his  resignation 
as  pastor  of  the  society.  To  imderstand  the  full  force  of  this  blow, 
for  it  was  a  severe  one,  it  must  be  recalled  that  it  was  chiefly  through 
Mr.  Hitchcock's  friendly  offices  that  Mr.  Giles  had  come  to  New  York; 
that  Mr.  Hitchcock  had  been  untiring  in  his  acts  of  kindness  during 
the  earlier  years  of  the  life  in  that  city,  and  that  he  and  my  father  had 
been  actively  associated  together  in  the  very  work  on  the  Messenger 
which  he  now  wished  Mr.  Giles  to  abandon.  Mr.  Hitchcock  admitted 
that  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the  recent  meetings  of  the  society 
had  been  held.    The  diary  records: 

This  letter  was  the  most  stunning  blow  I  ever  received,  not  from  any 
fear  of  resignation  but  for  its  animus.  Several  gentlemen  called  to-day 
and  talked  over  the  crisis  with  me.  The  decision  is  to  read  the  letter 
at  church  to-morrow.  There  were  many  offers  to  stand  by  me  with 
money  and  influence. 

It  has  been  a  most  uncomfortable  day.  It  is  a  new  sensation  to  feel 
one  has  an  enemy. 

The  letter  was  read  and  received  with  a  storm  of  indignant  protest. 
Father  writes: 

Oh,  the  misery  of  contention!  There  is  great  excitement  in  the 
society,  and  we  are  truly  passing  through  a  crisis  which  I  have  no 
doubt  will,  in  the  end,  result  in  good  to  the  church. 

So  far  I  seem  to  be  wonderfully  guided  to  pursue  the  right  course. 
It  is  something  new  to  me  to  have  such  a  commotion.  I  shall  try  to  do 
what  is  right  and  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  protected. 

At  the  meeting  to  discuss  the  subject  none  of  my  family  was  present. 

The  people  sustained  me  unanimously.  No  minister  was  ever  more 
vigorously  and  cordially  upheld  and  no  man  was  ever  more  emphati- 
cally condemned  tlian  Mr.  Hitchcock.  I  suppose  the  result  will  be  a 
breach  in  the  society,  but  those  who  go  away  will  be  a  very  small  por- 
tion of  the  whole.  I  feel  as  though  I  had  been  guided  by  the  Divine 
Providence  in  this  matter  throughout.  This  conflict  is  the  first  great 
trial  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  had  and  I  suppose  it  is  for  my  good  in 

-4  242  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

some  way.     I  must  try  to  make  the  most  good  out  of  it  for  the  church 
and  for  myself. 

Upon  learning  that  Mr.  Hitchcock  took  exception  to  the  reading  of 
his  letter  in  public,  Mr.  Giles  wrote  the  following: 

In  your  communication  to  the  society,  which  I  did  not  see  until  last 
week,  you  attribute  my  reading  your  letter  to  the  church  on  Sunday 
morning  to  personal  hostility  to  you.  I  do  not  see  how  you  could 
come  to  such  a  conclusion.  But  whatever  may  have  been  your  reasons, 
I  assure  you  you  have  entirely  mistaken  my  motives.  I  have  never 
had  any  personal  hostility  to  you  and  I  have  none  now. 

I  read  your  letter,  because  in  it  you  requested  me  to  take  a  step  which 
must  affect  in  some  way  every  person  who  attends  our  church.  No 
thought  or  feeling  of  hostility  to  you  or  to  any  one  else  entered  my 
mind.  I  only  wanted  to  bring  the  subject  before  those  whom  it  con- 
cerned in  such  a  manner  that  every  one  might  know  the  issues  involved 
in  it,  and  with  perfect  willingness  to  abide  by  the  clearly  expressed  wish 
of  the  people,  whatever  it  might  be.  Whether  the  act  itself  was  a  mis- 
take or  not  is  a  fair  subject  for  criticism.  If  it  was  a  mistake,  which 
I  by  no  means  admit,  it  was  an  error  of  judgment  and  not  of  intention. 

This  is  the  first  time  in  a  ministry  of  nearly  twenty  years  that  I  have 
had  any  difficulty  with  any  member  of  the  societies  which  I  have  served. 
I  have  always  aimed  to  keep  personal  considerations  subordinate  to  the 
good  of  the  Church  and  I  have  never  known  that  I  had  a  personal 
enemy. 

If  I  know  anything  of  myself,  it  is  the  main  purpose  of  my  life  to 
do  what  I  can  to  build  up  the  Lord's  kingdom  upon  the  earth,  and  I 
think  I  am  willing  to  work  in  the  way  in  which,  in  my  own  judgment 
and  in  that  of  my  brethren,  I  can  be  the  most  useful.  I  have  no  feel- 
ings of  hostility  towards  any  one,  much  less  towards  you,  from  whom 
I  have  received  many  acts  of  kindness  which  I  shall  never  forget.  If 
I  thought  my  resignation  as  pastor  of  the  society  would  promote  its 
efficiency  and  usefulness,  no  inducement  could  prevail  upon  me  to  re- 
main; on  the  other  hand,  I  should  be  ecjually  determined  in  my  duty  not 
to  desert  my  post  until  I  saw  that  it  was  best  for  the  Church  to  do  so. 

-'<i  243  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  have  written  tliis  letter  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  what  I  know 
to  be  a  misapprehension  on  your  part  of  my  motives  in  reading  your 
letter  in  the  time  and  place  I  did,  and  of  removing,  as  far  as  possible, 
any  hindrance  to  our  working  together  as  heretofore  for  tliat  cause 
which  I  am  sure  we  botli  have  at  heart. 

Tlius  for  a  time  was  a  settlement  made,  but  though  his  friends  drew 
closer  and  a  vote  was  taken  to  increase  Mr.  Giles's  salary,  payments 
were  very  irregular.  For  several  winters  the  family  income  was  eked 
out  by  taking  boarders.  Of  course  the  most  rigid  economy  was 
practised. 

My  parents'  faith  in  the  Lord's  loving  Providence  never  wavered. 
Notwithstanding  all  his  trials,  my  father  could  truly  say: 

I  am  thankful  every  day  that  the  Lord  has  led  me  into  my  profession; 
I  would  not  exchange  it  for  any  other.  I  am  sure  I  am  performing  a 
greater  use  in  it  than  I  could  in  any  other  and  I  am  content  so  far. 
My  only  regret  is  that  I  have  done  so  little  and  that  I  shall  leave  this 
world  with  only  a  small  part  of  tlie  work  done  which  I  might  have 
accomplished.  But  I  have  done  something,  and  I  will  try  to  be  content 
to  do  what  more  I  can  in  the  few  years  at  the  most  in  which  I  shall 
remain  on  the  earth. 

As  summer  approached,  the  family  went  again  to  Poultney,  Vermont. 
On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1871,  my  youngest  brother,  William,  met  with 
a  very  serious  accident.  He  was  bending  over  a  toy  cannon,  in  the  act 
of  loading  it  from  an  open  powder  horn  before  him,  when  a  playmate 
threw  a  lighted  firecracker  which  accidentally  dropped  into  the  ]3owder. 
My  poor  brother  was  sent  into  the  air  by  the  explosion,  and  his  face 
so  badly  burned  that  for  days  we  did  not  know  whether  he  could  ever 
see  again.  Fortunately,  there  lived  in  Poultney  a  man  who  had  served 
as  a  surgeon  in  the  Civil  War.  Having  had  much  experience  with  this 
sort  of  thing,  his  unremitting  care  was  invaluable.  It  was  a  memorable 
day  when,  as  a  little  light  was  let  into  his  darkened  chamber,  we  first 
heard  the  little  fellow's  cry,  "  I  can  see!  I  can  see!  "  Father,  who  had 
been  called  away  on  church  business,  writes: 

I  am  so  glad  to  hear  that  Willie  continues  to  improve,  but  he  must  be 
very  careful  not  to  use  his  eyes  too  much.    They  will  probably  be  weak 

-4  244  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

for  some  time.  I  have  felt  so  anxious  about  him.  Dear  little  fellow! 
I  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  his  being  blind,  and  yet,  worse  things 
might  happen. 

I  have  had  many  anxieties  about  my  children.  The  troubles  which 
never  came  have  been  the  hardest  to  bear.  There  are  fears  about  their 
health,  and  about  accidents,  and  danger,  and  troubles  which  may  never 
come.  It  came  over  me  some  time  ago,  in  a  way  that  it  never  had  done 
before,  that  I  ought  not  to  regard  them  so  exclusively  as  mine.  They 
are  the  Lord's,  given  in  trust. 

At  the  Convention  of  1871  Rev.  J.  C.  Ager  was  appointed  editor-in- 
chief  of  the  Messenger,  under  an  Editorial  Committee,  consisting  of 
Mr.  Giles,  Mr.  Scammon,  Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Wayne,  and  Rev.  William 
B.  Hayden.  The  committee  was  to  have  charge  of  the  business  of 
publication  in  New  York,  with  power  to  remove  the  paper  to  Chicago 
or  elsewhere  if  it  seemed  best.  On  November  15th  of  that  year  Mr. 
Ager  resigned  as  editor  and  Mr.  Giles  was  given  the  direction,  with  an 
assistant.  The  assistant  received  a  salary;  Mr.  Giles's  services  were 
gratuitous. 

In  January,  1872,  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Publications 
in  New  York.  Mr.  Shoemaker,  representing  the  firm  of  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  &  Co.,  met  with  them  in  conference.  The  expediency  of  publica- 
tion through  the  regular  channels  of  trade  was  considered.  "  The 
maintenance  of  the  periodicals  of  Convention,  all  of  which  have  been 
published  at  considerable  loss,  was  one  of  the  chief  topics  of  discussion." 

It  was  finally  agreed  to  retain  the  Messenger  as  the  only  organ 
for  which  the  Convention  is  responsible.  Mr.  Giles  was  continued  in 
charge  of  tlie  paper  until  the  meeting  of  Convention,  with  power 
to  employ  such  assistance  as  he  might  deem  best. 

In  the  summer  of  1872  Mr.  Giles  was  invited  by  Mr.  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
the  vice  president  of  the  Convention,  to  go  to  Chicago  and  preach  in 
various  churches  hired  for  the  purpose. 

Mr.  Scammon  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Chicago,  and  came  to  that 
city  from  Maine  in  1835.  The  first  Convention  in  Chicago  was  held 
at  his  invitation.  He  took  an  active  part  in  redrafting  its  constitution, 
and  made  it  more  like  a  legal  document.  For  twenty  years  he  was  one 
of  the  controlling  spirits  of  the  organization.  He  helped  to  make  it  in 
fact,  as  in  name,  a  General  Convention.  He  was  its  vice  president  from 
1862  to  1875. 

-^  245  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Mr.  Scammon  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  but  could  accept  the 
will  of  the  majority  when  it  was  against  him.  He  was  one  of  Chicago's 
most  prominent  and  useful  citizens,  a  leading  lawyer  of  sterling  integ- 
rity, a  pioneer  of  the  railroad  system  of  Illinois,  an  advocate  of  sound 
currency,  a  politician  and  journalist  of  wide  influence,  a  scholar  of  re- 
fined and  great  attainments,  and  probably  more  than  all  others  instru- 
mental in  securing  to  Illinois  its  public  school  system.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  and  of  the  Astronomical  Society. 
He  built  the  Dearborn  Observatory,  was  trustee  of  the  Chicago  Univer- 
sity and  founder  of  one  of  its  professorships.  He  was  also  a  founder 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Hahnemann  College  and  Hospital.  He  died  in 
May,  1890. 

In  inviting  Mr.  Giles  to  Chicago  for  the  summer,  Mr.  Scammon,  who 
was  warmly  attached  to  my  father,  had  a  project  in  mind  which  is  out- 
lined as  follows:  The  subject  of  removing  the  Messenger  to  Chicago 
was  under  consideration  and  a  proposition  was  made  to  Mr.  Giles  to 
edit  the  paper.  By  this  plan  Mr.  Giles  was  to  have  no  charge  of  a 
society,  but  would  preach  occasionally,  when  he  was  needed.  For  all 
the  work  he  was  to  have  adequate  compensation. 

Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Now  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Lord  has  prepared  the  way  for  me  to 
act.  After  I  go  home  and  our  friends  have  returned,  I  propose  to  lay  the 
whole  question  of  my  relations  to  the  New  York  Society  before  it,  and 
its  members  shall  decide  the  question  for  me.  I  shall  propose  to  give 
up  my  connection  with  the  Messenger  and  devote  myself  to  the  work 
of  the  society  in  New  York,  or  keep  it  and  give  up  a  part  of  my  salary 
as  minister  and  let  them  give  me  an  assistant.  My  salary  is  to  be  made 
up  by  payment  of  my  services  as  editor,  or,  if  there  is  not  a  strong  and 
hearty  endorsement  of  this  course,  I  will  resign  and  come  here.  The 
whole  subject  must  be  placed  fully  before  the  society  without  any  pas- 
sion or  desire  to  have  any  action  taken  that  is  not  deliberate  and  which 
has  not  its  origin  in  good  feeling.  On  my  part  it  shall  be  taken  with 
a  sincere  desire  to  be  led  by  the  Lord,  and  if  I  can  keep  in  that  frame 
of  mind  I  am  sure  we  shall  do  that  which  will  be  the  best  for  all  of  us. 

You  will  understand  that  notliing  has  been  decided.  I  feel  more 
pleased  witli  this  because  it  is  not  a  matter  of  my  seeking.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  have  opposed  the  Messenger's  coming  here,  and  it  was  through 

-"sg{  246  ^'- 


i 


Ml!.  AM)  Miis.  i;iLt;s 

Abnut  1873 
During  New  York  Pastorale 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

my  instrumentality  that  its  removal  was  prevented  a  year  ago.  I  took 
the  editorship  of  it  because  it  seemed  clearly  my  duty  to  do  it.  I  came 
here  this  summer  because  "  I  believed  in  my  bones "  that  I  ought  to 
come,  without  any  knowledge  that  such  a  proposition  was  to  be  made 
to  me.  So  I  am  sure  there  has  been  no  self-seeking  in  the  matter,  and 
I  feel  much  more  confident,  therefore,  that  I  have  been  led  by  the 
Divine  Providence,  and  I  am  sure  that  is  the  best  kind  of  leading. 

The  meeting  of  the  Board  was  held  and  it  was  then  decided  that  "  the 
Book  Room  and  Messenger  are  to  remain  in  New  York  until  December 
15tli,  and  then  they  are  to  be  removed  to  such  place  as  the  executive 
committee  of  our  Board  may  decide,  unless  the  people  in  New  York  and 
the  East  contribute  their  share  of  the  fifty  thousand  dollar  fund,  and  in 
that  way  succeed  in  placing  the  work  in  New  York  on  a  permanent  foot- 
ing.   So  it  stands  now." 

As  the  Messenger  was  not  removed  from  New  York,  nor  the  plans  out- 
lined carried  out,  the  family  remained  in  New  York  for  several  years 
longer. 

In  December,  1872,  Mr.  Giles  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Meday, 
president  of  the  New  York  Society,  which  clearly  defined  the  position 
of  that  body.    To  this  he  made  reply: 

New  York,  January  1,  1873. 

Your  note,  informing  me  of  the  action  and  opinions  of  the  trustees 
and  Church  Committee,  was  duly  received.  I  thank  you  for  your  frank- 
ness in  stating  their  sentiments.  It  may  be  that  one  cause  of  the  slow 
growth  of  the  society  is  a  want  of  more  personal  intercourse  on  ray  part 
and  more  special  attention  to  the  requirements  of  individual  members 
of  the  society  and  congregation.  But  there  are  many  other  causes 
which  have  been  operating  adversely  to  the  growth  of  the  society  which 
must  be  taken  into  account  in  framing  a  just  estimate  of  our  hindrances. 
I  should  be  very  glad  to  know,  however,  that  there  is  only  one  and  that 
it  is  solely  with  me.  In  any  event,  I  will  do  all  I  can  during  the  coming 
year  to  remedy  the  defects  in  my  own  work  and  to  remove  all  jn^;t  cause 
of  complaint  on  that  account. 

I  have  only  one  principal  aim  in  life  and  that  is  to  do  all  I  can  for  the 
dissemination  of  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  and  to  lead  men  to 

~4  247  }3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

live  according  to  Uiem,  and  diough  I  fall  short  every  day  of  what  I  aim 
to  do,  I  endeavor  to  keep  trying. 

I  am  sure  that  there  is  a  brighter  day  for  the  New  Church  coming. 
It  may  not  be  so  near  as  it  seems  to  me  to  be.  But  the  more  remote  it 
is  the  more  need  of  patience  and  hard  work,  and  I  am  willing  to  accept 
my  share  of  both. 

Middletown,  New  York,  was  decided  upon  for  the  family's  summer 
outing  in  1873.  Father  writes  from  New  York  to  one  of  the  family 
who  was  visiting  elsewhere: 

I  went  to  Middletown  last  Saturday  and  came  back  Monday  night 
to  attend  tlie  funeral  of  Mr.  Hamilton  Hoyt,  and  now  I  shall  remain 
until  I  can  get  your  mother  to  go  with  me,  which  I  hope  will  be  Friday. 
If  this  hot  weather  continues  you  may  expect  to  see  me  "  sitting  in  my 
bones  "  when  you  come  home.  The  "  taking  off  of  the  flesh  "  by  evap- 
oration is  going  on  at  a  very  rapid  rate. 

You  would  be  amused  to  see  how  we  —  your  mother  and  I  —  manage 
at  table.  It  is  such  a  weary  task  to  carve.  You  know  what  an  enor- 
mous meat  eater  your  good  mother  is.  We  have  been  at  work  at  a 
lamb  chop  for  two  days;  I  have  no  idea  how  many  more  it  will  last. 
One  blackberry  (perhaps  it  was  a  quart)  has  served  us  since  as  long 
as  I  can  remember.  If  things  continue  in  this  way  I  intend  to  get  a 
microscope  so  that  I  may  see  to  carve.  If  you  discover  anything  vola- 
tile in  this  letter  you  must  attribute  it  to  the  weather.  Your  mother  and 
I,  all  that 's  left  of  us,  are  well,  and  so  were  the  family  at  Middletown 
when  I  last  saw  them.  It  is  entirely  contrary  to  my  principles  to  write 
across  the  page  in  this  way,  but  who  can  have  any  principles  this  hot 
weather? 

Another  letter,  written  from  New  York  the  same  siunmer,  shows  that 
"  a  little  nonsense  now  and  then "  appeals  to  even  the  most  serious- 
minded. 

August  17,  1873. 
I  remained  because  Mr.  Meday  is  in  such  haste  about  the  accoimts 
that  I  told  him  I  would  stay  here  until  the  work  was  done.    By  Saturday 

-4  248  Jge-.- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

I  had  progressed  so  that  I  could  see  through  it  and  I  think  we  can  make 
everytliing  square  to  a  cent. 

On  waking  in  the  morning  the  question  confronted  me,  "  How  shall 
I  spend  the  day?  "  Fortunately  the  recollection  of  our  trip  to  Far 
Rockaway  occurred  to  me  and  I  resolved  that  I  would  get  a  bit  of  fresh 
air  in  that  quiet  and  lovely  spot.  So,  afther  ating  me  breakfast,  I 
quietly  wended  me  way  to  the  foot  of  Twinty-thurd  —  I  do  belave  it 
was  Thirty-fourth  now  —  me  mimory  is  forsaking  me  intirely.  I  was 
jist  in  time  to  cross  on  the  last  boat,  so  Pat  and  Biddy  and  I  bought  an 
excursion  ticket  for  siventy-five  cints,  and  chape  enough  it  was  at  that, 
an'  took  our  places  in  one  of  the  iligent  cars  on  the  Long  Island 
Railroad. 

It  was  very  hot  and  the  cars  were  crowded,  and  the  shwate  exhala- 
tions from  so  many  clane  and  well-dressed  gurls  and  boiys,  frish  from 
the  tiniment  houses,  would  have  been  quite  overpowering  if  tliere  had 
not  been  a  fresh  breeze.  We  held  shwate  converse  with  each  other  while 
the  cars  whirled  us  away  to  our  distination.  Before  we  were  aware  of 
it,  we  were  fuminst  the  daypot  in  the  lovely  grove  at  Rockaway. 

We  all  rushed  out  and  hurried  away  to  the  coast.  There  was  a 
great  crowd.  We  waded  perseveringly  through  the  sand  until  we 
reached  the  beach.  Ould  ocean,  that  same  which  bates  upon  the  shore 
of  ould  Ireland,  greeted  us  with  a  roar  and  sint  wave  afther  wave  to 
shake  hands  wid  us  and  invite  us  to  his  embrace.  We  were  not  long  in 
accepting  his  invitation.  We  rushed  to  the  bathing  houses,  though  why 
they  are  called  bathing  houses  I  cannot  well  imagine,  for  nobody  bathes 
in  them.  Pat  and  Bridget  came  out,  the  two  of  them  quite  different 
from  whin  they  wint  in,  and  just  alike,  saving  Biddy's  hair  was  a  little 
longer.  Pat  kicked  up  his  heels  and,  with  sundry  leaps,  put  his  fate  and 
himself  intirely  into  tlie  wather,  while  Biddy  lingered  on  the  shore  and 
coquetted  with  the  waves  as  they  came  up  to  invite  her  to  a  frolic.  Pat, 
the  broth  of  a  boiy,  came,  shaking  himself  like  a  great  Ne\vfoundland 
dog,  and  seizing  lur  by  tiir  arm,  away  wint  the  two  of  them.  A  big 
roller  dashed  them  bolh  down  and  tumbled  them  about  promiscuously. 
I  am  shure  Biddy  would  have  scramed  a  little  dilicale.  Irish  scrame, 
but  the  ocean  clapped  his  hand  upon  her  mouth  and  stopped  it.     Whin 

— «(  249  }?►- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

she  regained  her  fate  she  tried  hard  to  get  back  to  the  shore,  but  Pat 
was  not  at  all  inclined  to  be  deserted.  We  soon  got  used  to  it  and  then 
we  did  have  a  jolly  time  of  it,  I  standing  on  the  shore  and  Pat  and  Biddy 
disporting  tliemselves  with  the  yeasty  waves  for  my  amusement. 

The  beach  was  lined  with  just  sich,  and  the  say  looked  as  though  it 
was  full  of  sandy-haired  and  blue-eyed  porpoises.  There  was,  of  course, 
some  diversity.  One  Patrick,  went  up  to  a  Biddy  —  it  wasn't  my 
Biddy  —  who  was  holding  onto  the  rope,  the  timid  crathure,  as  tliough 
she  was  afraid  of  the  wather.  The  big  spalpeen  tried  to  gintly  per- 
suade her  to  let  go  and  trust  to  him.  She  half  consinted  and,  letting 
go  for  a  moment,  she  gave  him  a  tremendous  slap  in  the  face  with  her 
wet  hand  which  sint  him  about  his  business.  Another  fair  damsel  next 
to  her,  but  with  much  more  padding  on  her  ribs,  had  fastened  her  bath- 
ing suit  very  closely  imder  her  arms,  making  it  quite  short-waisted. 
Her  drawers  were  rather  short-waisted  in  the  other  direction,  which  left 
quite  an  extent  of  territory  covered  with  a  loose,  flowing  tunic,  like  a 
short  dressing  gown.  Whetlier  she  desjjised  the  waves  or  was  afraid  to 
face  them,  I  do  not  know.  At  all  events,  she  turned  her  back  upon  them, 
and  when  one  came  up  it  washed  her  upper  garment  over  her  shoulders 
and  left  her  dress  a  little  short  of  the  regulation  pattern,  exposing  a 
large  surface  of  back,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the  gintlemin  and 
ladies  on  the  beach.  There  were  many  other  little  incidents  which 
served  to  break  up  tlie  monotony  of  those  of  us  who  did  our  bathing 
on  dry  land. 

About  one  o'clock  I  foimd  an  appetite  and  I  went  to  the  Ocean  House 
to  get  something  to  fit  it,  but  I  saw  nothing  but  whiskey  and  billiard 
balls.  Then  I  went  to  a  new  house,  —  "The  Grand  Central"  (hum- 
bug). I  saw  a  vacant  chair  on  the  piazza  which  I  was  about  to  occupy, 
when  I  was  informed  that  a  lady  had  just  left  it.  Of  course  I  was  glad 
she  had  left  it,  for  I  should  not  have  tliought  of  occupying  it  if  she  had 
not.  I  was  so  much  surprised  by  the  fact  that  a  lady  had  left  it  that  I 
stood  in  speechless  wonder,  surveying  the  premises  and  pondering  upon 
the  singular  fact  that  a  lady  should  leave  a  chair  just  when  I  wanted  it. 
But  while  engaged  in  my  reflections,  a  fair  daughter  of  Erin  came  and 
plumped  herself  down  in  it.     Whether  she  was  the  one  who  left  it  or 

-=*•{  250  ^- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

not  was  of  no  consequence.  I  lost  all  interest  in  the  matter  and  wan- 
dered away  until  I  found  anotlier  place  in  a  restaurant.  There  I  pro- 
cured a  luncheon  at  the  cost — ^the  whole  of  it  —  of  forty -one  cents. 
Then  I  took  another  look  at  old  Ocean  and  the  lovely  sirens  who  were 
disporting  tliemselves  in  his  waves.  I  was  much  struck  with  the  famil- 
iarity of  many  of  the  maidens  with  water.  They  moved  their  hands 
and  bodies  up  and  down  as  though  they  tliought  the  ocean  a  great  wash- 
tub.  I  sat  in  the  sand  and  watched  the  bathers  and  the  breakers,  and 
inhaled  strength  and  pleasure  with  every  breath. 

But  the  most  delightful  day  will  have  a  close.  I  knew  there  would 
be  a  grand  rush  for  die  train,  so  I  left  in  good  season,  quietly  seated 
myself  in  a  car  and  read  the  Evangelist.  Pat  and  Biddy  arrived  just 
in  time  to  get  a  good  place  to  stand  up,  so  we  returned,  reaching  New 
York  a  little  after  seven  o'clock.  Margaret  got  me  a  cup  of  tea  and, 
after  reading  a  while  and  reflecting  upon  the  pleasures  of  the  day  that 's, 
alas!  past  and  gone,  I  went  to  bed  and  dreamed  of  —  ah  —  excuse  me. 
Dreams  are  so  strange  I  think  I  will  not  relate  mine,  but  you  will  be 
pleased  to  know  that  I  feel  much  better  to-day. 

William  Giles,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  taken  with  malarial 
fever  during  the  latter  part  of  the  summer.  After  nursing  him  to  re- 
covery, my  sister  Lucy  was  taken  ill  with  the  same  disease.  She  came 
down  witli  tlie  fever  only  a  few  days  before  that  set  for  my  marriage  to 
Mr.  James  Richard  Carter  of  Boston.  There  was  some  talk  of  post- 
poning the  wedding,  but  on  many  accounts  it  did  not  seem  best,  so  on 
October  15th,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  were  quietly  married 
in  the  Thirty-fifth  Street  Church,  with  only  members  of  the  family  to 
greet  us  afterwards.  At  that  time  our  home  was  at  143  East  Thirty- 
fifth  Street,  a  pleasant  house  next  door  to  an  Episcopal  Church  on  Uie 
corner  of  Lexington  Avenue.  My  sister's  illness  was  very  tedious,  and 
it  was  many  weeks  before  she  entirely  recovered. 

In  January,  1874,  Mr.  Giles  visited  Boston,  Bridgewater,  Saloni,  and 
other  places,  delivering  a  highly  successful  lecture.     Of  this  he  says: 

It  was  voted  to  send  it  to  every  minister,  priest,  and  rabbi  in  our 
Association,  which,  you  may  not  know,  embraces  die  states  of  Connecti- 
cut, New  York,  and  New  Jersey.    This  will  give  us  work  to  do  for  some 

-4  251  }a^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

time.  I  hope  other  associations  will  follow  suit.  It  is  thought  by  our 
people  that  the  discourse  will  be  a  good  introduction  to  the  subject  of 
the  New  Church  and  a  good  method  of  calling  the  attention  of  the 
clergy  to  the  offer  of  Mr.  lungerich  to  send  them  the  "  True  Christian 
Religion." 

March  20th,  1874,  Mrs.  Giles  writes: 

Your  dear  father  has  worked  very  hard  this  winter.  The  more  he 
does  the  more  he  seems  to  have  the  capacity  for  doing.  I  think  he  so 
thoroughly  believes  all  he  says  that  he  derives  real  strength  from  every 
utterance  of  it.  The  demands  upon  his  time  by  calls  and  in  reply  to 
letters  has  been  enough  to  weary  and  exhaust.  He  meets  tliem  with 
such  sympathy  and  trust  in  tlie  good  Providence  of  our  Heavenly 
Father  that  he  seems  in  a  sphere  of  peace  which  is  very  beautiful  and 
restful.  Each  day,  as  the  opportunity  comes,  he  improves  the  time,  en- 
couraging, leading  and  guiding  to  a  better  life. 

That  fatigue  after  his  great  activities  sometimes  brought  him  down 
from  the  heights  of  peace  is  evident  in  the  following: 

It  does  seem  so  hard  to  interest  any  one  in  anything  higher  than  a 
merely  natural  life  that  I  do  get  discouraged  sometimes  and  wish  I  were 
a  woodchopper,  or  —  no,  I  don't  wish  it.  But  I  am  so  tired  that  the 
whole  society  seems  to  hang  like  a  dead  weight  upon  me.  Sometimes 
the  burden  is  too  great.  It  has  seemed  to  me  lately  that  the  old  idea  of 
heaven  as  a  state  of  rest  was  a  particularly  attractive  one  and  that  I 
should  like  to  try  it  for  a  little  while.  But  I  know  that  I  should  be  more 
tired  of  that  than  I  am  of  my  burdens  now. 

I  do  feel,  in  some  respects,  an  increase  of  insight  and  power,  and 
if  I  do  not  break  down  I  believe  I  shall  yet  do  something  better  than 
anything  I  have  done.  The  world  of  truth  opens  so  wonderfully  some- 
times that  I  catch  glimpses  of  the  possibilities  of  our  natures,  and  I 
seem  to  be  reaching  after  a  clear  conception  of  them,  so  that  I  can  state 
them  in  distinct  fonn.  But  this  is  hard  work.  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to 
do  it. 

~'^  252  ^.- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

The  following  describes  a  brief  respite  from  the  daily  routine: 

New  York,  May  28,  1874. 

It  is  a  lovely  day;  not  a  cloud,  not  too  hot  nor  too  cold,  and  your 
mother  and  I  have  been  enjoying  it.  Your  mother  is  getting  very 
wild.  She  proposed  to  me  last  night  tliat  we  should  go  off  to-day 
"  on  a  spree."  She  did  not  use  those  words  but  it  amounted  to  the 
same  thing.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  it  shocked  me,  but  I  did  not 
say  much,  hoping  she  would  forget  it  in  the  morning.  But  as  she 
made  the  same  proposal,  on  the  whole  I  thought  it  best  to  acquiesce. 
Accordingly,  about  ten  o'clock  we  set  out.  We  walked  down  to 
Third  Avenue  and  there  —  perhaps  you  won't  believe  it,  but  it  is  true 
—  we  found  two  iron  rails  had  been  laid  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
street  and  a  carriage  constructed  on  diem  for  our  use.  There  was  a 
coachman  and  a  footman  to  manage  the  vehicle.  They  stopped  at  our 
approach  and  politely  invited  us  to  get  in,  which  we  did,  and  they  drove 
off.  We  rode  to  Fifty-ninth  Street  and  then  concluded  to  go  west.  By 
some  magic,  another  carriage  came  along  and  took  us  in  the  direction 
we  wished  to  travel.  It  must  have  cost  a  vast  sum  of  money  to  have 
made  all  this  preparation  for  our  comfort. 

But  we  were  soon  to  meet  with  greater  surprises.  After  riding  a  few 
blocks  we  found  a  beautiful  park,  laid  out  in  the  most  artistic  manner 
and  kept  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  for  our  delight.  The  smoothest 
and  most  lovely  roads  had  been  made;  green  and  beautiful  lawns 
stretched  away  at  intervals  on  either  side;  shrubs,  blossoming  with 
most  beautiful  flowers,  lined  the  road.  Bridges  had  been  built  and  arti- 
ficial lakes  constructed,  and  everything  which  the  wit  of  man  could 
devise  had  been  provided  to  make  our  trip  pleasant.  Again  a  carriage 
of  a  somewhat  different  form  had  been  provided,  and  we  were  politely 
invited  to  take  seats  in  it.  Fearing,  perhaps,  that  your  mother  and 
I  would  be  a  little  lonely,  a  party  of  four  ladies,  who  made  th(>msclves 
very  amusing  and  agreeable,  were  there  to  accompany  us. 

Well,  we  enjoyed  it  very  much.  I  felt  in  a  generous  mood  and  lav- 
ished my  money  freely  on  our  servants,  and  every  one  seemed  to  be  in 
a  good  humor.  We  returned  in  the  same  way,  finding  at  every  turn 
some  one  ready  to  serve  us.     Isn't  it  wonderful  that  some  unknown 

-4  253  is— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

friends  should  have  done  so  much  for  such  humble  people  as  we  are? 
There  must  be  some  goodness  in  the  world,  surely. 

The  following  letter  was  given  to  me  by  an  old  lady  of  eighty.  For 
many  years  she  had  treasured  it  as  a  solace  and  comfort,  and  when  she 
thought  she  had  not  long  to  live  she  sent  it  to  me,  that  I  too  might  prize 
it.  Since  it  came  into  my  possession,  copies  of  it  have  many  times  been 
loaned  or  given  to  friends  in  affliction.  It  has  comforted  many  sad 
hearts. 

"  My  Precious  Letter  from  my  Pastor,  Rev.  C.  Giles  " 

Boston,  July  27,  1874. 

I  have  heard  from  Lucy,  with  much  pain,  of  the  great  calamity  which 
has  fallen  upon  you,  and  I  sincerely  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  do 
something  to  assuage  the  bitterness  of  your  sorrow  or  to  help  you  bear 
it.  But  we  cannot  do  much.  I  never  feel  so  helpless  as  when  trying 
to  comfort  those  who  mourn.  There  is  only  one  Comforter  who 
knows  every  secret  spring  of  affection  within  us,  who  knows  how  we 
suffer  and  how  to  apply  the  healing  balm.  He  does  know  and  He  has 
invited  us  to  cast  every  burden  of  sorrow  upon  Him.  He  feels  for  us 
more  deeply  than  any  human  friend  can  and  He  is  ready  to  do  all  in 
His  infinite  power  and  love  to  assuage  our  sorrow  and  to  bring  the 
greatest  possible  good  out  of  it.  And  we  must  try  to  remember  what 
our  doctrines  so  clearly  teach  us,  that  the  Lord  never  permits  us  to 
suffer  any  trouble,  or  any  affliction  to  come  upon  us,  unless  it  is  in 
some  way  for  our  good  or  for  the  prevention  of  some  evil  greater  than 
the  one  He  permits.  If  you  could  see  the  full  bearings  of  this  sudden 
removal  of  your  son  from  the  natural  to  the  spiritual  world,  in  all  their 
influences  upon  you  and  upon  him,  and  upon  your  whole  family,  you 
would  not  wish  to  have  it  otherwise.  Terrible  as  the  blow  is  to  your 
mother's  heart,  you  would  say,  "  Let  it  come,  for  there  is  a  blessing 
in  it." 

I  know  how  hard  it  is  to  feel  this ;  I  know  we  cannot  see  it  when  our 
eyes  are  blinded  with  tears.  But  we  may  know  that  it  is  true,  because 
the  Lord  has  said  it.  And  this  should  be  our  comfort,  and  it  will,  if 
we  try  to  think  of  it  in  this  way.    If  you  could  see  your  beautiful  boy  as 

-^  254  ^~ 


NEW   YORK    PASTORATE,    1870-1874 

he  rises  into  the  other  life  and  is  led  by  wiser  teachers  than  any  upon 
earth,  into  those  relations  and  pursuits  which  are  the  best  adapted  to 
make  a  pure,  noble,  and  angelic  man  of  him,  you  would  see  how  much 
better  the  Lord  is  doing  for  him  than  you  could  have  done,  even  if  you 
had  possessed  the  wisdom  of  the  world.  You  would  not  withdraw  him 
from  tlie  care  of  the  wise  and  pure  ones  to  whose  care  he  has  been 
committed  and  bring  him  back  to  labor  and  suffer,  as  all  must  who  live 
in  this  world,  if  you  could  do  it  by  saying  "  Come." 

I  know  all  these  considerations  do  not  immediately  heal  the  wounds 
of  torn  and  bleeding  affections.  No  wound  heals  instantaneously.  But 
they  do  help.  They  assuage  the  sorrow;  they  mitigate  its  severity  and 
they  hasten  the  healing. 

The  natural  mind  instinctively  turns  to  its  loss  and  it  requires  much 
effort  to  lift  it  up  and  direct  its  attention  to  the  Lord.  But  we  can  do 
it.  We  can  compel  ourselves  to  look  to  Him  and  to  try  to  see  the  bright 
side  of  every  storm  of  sorrow.  Nothing  but  this  will  help  us.  And  this 
certainly  will.  The  help  may  not  come  as  soon  as  we  wish  it  or  expect 
it.  But  it  will  come.  There  is  no  possibility  of  failure.  Go  to  Him, 
through  His  Word.  He  will  meet  you  there  and  through  His  Word  He 
will  comfort  and  sustain  you. 


■■<i  255  }§.- 


CHAPTER   XII 

New  York  Pastorate,  1875-1877 

J.  HE  two  chief  events  of  1875  were  Mr.  Giles's  election  to  the  oflice 
of  President  of  the  Convention  and  his  trip  to  Europe.  Of  the  former 
Rev.  William  Worcester  writes: 

In  1875,  while  Mr.  Giles  was  pastor  of  the  New  York  Society,  he 
was  elected  President  of  the  General  Convention  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
in  the  United  States,  succeeding  the  Rev.  Thomas  Worcester,  and  he 
held  die  position  until  his  death,  a  period  of  eighteen  years.  In  the 
general  body  of  the  church,  as  in  the  societies  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, Mr.  Giles  was  a  warm  supporter  of  practical  uses  and  a  leader 
in  them.  The  missionary  cause  was  especially  dear  to  him  and  the 
printing  and  publishing  of  die  doctrines.  His  earnestness  in  the  work 
of  the  church,  his  confidence  in  the  support  of  the  Divine  Providence 
and  in  the  ability  of  the  people  to  supply  the  means  to  do  their  part, 
were  inspiring  and  led  to  substantial  results.  Mr.  Giles's  annual  ad- 
dresses as  President  of  the  Convention  presented  in  practical  ways  the 
principles  which  should  guide  the  Church  in  its  work.  Each  address 
seemed  to  sound  the  keynote  of  the  session,  and  it  was  a  note  of  har- 
mony and  practical  usefulness.  His  very  earnestness  that  the  Church 
should  be  at  work  actively  furthering  the  great  uses  intrusted  to  it  made 
Mr.  Giles  impatient  of  obstruction,  and  even  of  parliamentary  forms, 
when  they  seemed  to  retard  the  uses  which  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  He 
recognized  this  quality  in  himself  as  a  defect  in  a  presiding  officer,  and 
it  was  his  custom  of  late  years  to  intrust  the  conduct  of  the  business  to 
the  vice  president.  He  thought,  however,  and  probably  with  truth,  that 
his  disregard  of  rules  had  been  useful  to  tlie  Church  in  leading  to  less 
insistence  upon  mere  technicalities.  Mr.  Giles's  presence  always 
seemed  to  give  deliberations  a  higher  tone,  and  when  he  spoke  it  was 

"4  256  ^» 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

often  to  lift  discussion  above  minor  differences  to  the  more  spiritual 
plane  of  use,  where  all  could  unite. 

It  is  pleasant  to  note  the  following  comment  on  the  progress  of  the 
society: 

It  seems  as  though  we  had  entered  upon  an  "era  of  good  feeling." 
I  think  the  society  has  never  been  in  so  good  a  state  as  it  is  now  and  I 
believe  it  will  prosper  more  abundantly  than  ever.  It  seems  to  me  as 
though  we  had  come  more  into  a  settled  condition  and  that  will  be  a 
great  help. 

Wednesday,  April  17,  1875. 

Every  member  of  a  family  is  to  a  family  what  a  window  is  to  a  house, 
—  a  medium  for  transmitting  heavenly  light  and  the  still  finer  and  more 
precious  influences  of  heavenly  warmth.  I  have  been  thinking  what 
a  heaven  a  home  would  be  if  the  heavenly  life  were  transmitted  by  every 
member  of  the  family  without  hindrance  and  perversion,  and  I  have 
such  a  longing  for  the  peace  and  rest  which  comes  from  such  a  life 
that  I  can  find  no  words  to  express  it.  I  have  everything  to  be  thankful 
for,  and  yet  I  am  so  weary  sometimes  with  internal  and  external  con- 
flicts that  I  long  to  retire  from  all  public  relations  and  spend  the  rest  of 
my  days  in  quiet.  But  I  know  that  would  not  be  right  and  I  could  not 
get  away  from  myself. 

In  tlie  winter  of  1874-75  Mr.  Giles  wrote  a  course  of  sermons  on 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  These  form  the  basis  of  the  book  "  Perfect  Prayer." 
He  says  of  them: 

Finished  my  sermons  on  the  Lord's  Prayer.  They  have  awakened 
some  atlcntion,  but  they  have  not  satisfied  me.  They  seem  crude  and 
rough,  i  tliink  il  1  had  time  to  work  llicm  over  they  might  be  much 
improved.     But  thai.  I  suppose,  I  shall  never  have. 

In  April  the  society  voted  to  give  Mr.  Giles  a  four  months'  vacation 
to  visit  Europe.  Life  was  very  busy  in  tiie  interval  l)cfore  sailing.  In 
May  the  family  moved  from  143  East  Thirty-fiftli  Street,  its  tliird 
dwelling  place  since  coming  to  the  city.     Tiic  furniture  was  stored, 

-4  257  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

and  Mrs.  Giles  and  the  children  went  to  Cambridge,  New  York,  for  the 
summer.  On  May  L5th  Mr.  Giles  went  to  Washington  to  dedicate  the 
new  church  of  that  society.  He  was  assisted  in  the  services  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Day,  Mr.  Hunt,  and  the  Rev.  Jabez  Fox.  The  building  was  crowded 
to  its  capacity  on  the  occasion,  and  some  had  to  go  home  who  could 
not  find  even  standing  room. 

On  his  return  to  New  York,  through  the  kindness  of  friends  he  stayed 
at  their  home  until  the  time  of  his  sailing.  In  llie  last  hurried  days 
before  leaving  he  wrote,  by  request,  an  article  for  the  North  American 
Review.  Writers  from  different  churches  had  been  asked  to  unite  in 
a  symposium  which  would  give  the  standpoint  of  their  various  denomi- 
nations. At  first  Mr.  Giles  felt  that  he  could  not  do  it,  but  disliking  to 
neglect  an  opportunity  for  making  the  New  Church  known,  he  consented. 
He  wrote  to  a  late  hour  the  night  before  sailing  and  felt,  because  of  the 
enforced  haste,  much  dissatisfaction  with  the  article.  To  his  surprise 
and  pleasure  it  was  well  received  and  copied  into  an  English  magazine. 

On  June  16th  he  sailed  for  Liverpool.  The  members  of  the  New 
Church  in  England  were  glad  to  see  and  hear  and  know  personally  one 
whose  writings  they  so  highly  valued.  Mr.  Giles  felt  very  deeply  the 
kindness  shown  him  on  this  and  subsequent  visits,  and  close  friendships 
were  formed  with  his  English  brethren.  Writing  home  to  the  Messenger 
from  England,  he  said: 

I  found  I  was  not  a  stranger.  I  could  not  make  myself  one.  They 
not  only  took  me  by  the  hand  but  by  the  heart.  I  was  a  friend  and  a 
brother  and  at  home.  A  feeling  would  sometimes  come  over  me  that  I 
must  have  seen  tliem  and  known  them  before.  I  hope  the  cordiality  of 
my  welcome  and  the  impossibility  of  feeling  that  I  was  among  strangers 
may  be  accoimted  for  by  the  great  law  of  spiritual  association,  accord- 
ing to  which  those  of  a  homogeneous  nature  feel  as  though  tliey  had 
always  known  one  another,  when  they  first  meet.  I  am  sure  I  shall 
always  remember  with  profound  gratitude  their  kindness  and  unre- 
mitting efforts  to  make  my  visit  a  pleasant  one.  My  visit  has  enlarged 
the  horizon  of  my  thoughts  and  affections  and  enriched  my  mind  with 
many  charming  scenes  and  pleasant  memories,  which  will  be  a  comfort 
and  delight  during  my  whole  life. 

On  his  first  visit,  in  1875,  Mr.  Giles  attended  the  New  Church  Con- 
ference in  Manchester,  as  the  official  messenger  of  the  Convention, 

-4.  258  }■>- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

and  received  the  kindest  hospitality.     He  found  this  letter  of  welcome 
awaiting  him  on  his  arrival: 

Letter  to  Mr.  Giles  from  Mr.  John  F.  Potts 

RuTHERCLEN,  June  25,  1875. 

I  have  just  received  your  letter,  which  I  was  expecting,  as  I  saw  the 
announcement  in  the  Messenger  of  your  intended  departure.  I  am  de- 
lighted to  hear  of  your  safe  arrival  and  of  your  intention  to  be  with  us 
on  Monday.  I  am  going  to  preach  at  Edinburgh  on  Simday,  but  I 
shall  be  at  home  in  time  to  receive  you  and  to  meet  you  at  the  station 
in  Glasgow  on  your  arrival.  I  shall  avail  myself  of  your  kind  offer 
to  preach  for  me  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  shall  have  you  duly  annoimced 
on  Sunday.  Won't  the  people  stare  when  they  hear  that  the  Rev. 
Chauncey  Giles  of  New  York  will  preach  in  this  church  on  Sunday  next! 
I  shall  announce  it  at  Edinburgh  myself,  if  only  for  the  pleasure  of 
saying  it.  Glasgow  is  the  best  place  for  seeing  Scotland,  as  it  is  very 
central  to  all  places  of  interest,  and  you  can  start  from  here  quite  con- 
veniently for  any  locality  in  the  country.  A  large  number  of  day  trips 
can  also  be  made  from  Glasgow  to  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  Scot- 
land. I  shall  be  very  happy  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  help  you  in  any 
way  you  like. 

I  don't  think  I  can  "  prepare  "  to  see  you.  I  expect  I  shall  be  taken 
all  aback  after  the  most  tremendous  preparations.  I  cannot  realize  you 
yet,  or  that  I  shall  so  soon  see  you.  Well,  it  is  very  nice  to  meet  some 
folks.  Spiritual  presence  is  all  very  fine,  but  I  confess  to  a  strong 
hankering  after  the  ultimate  of  this  condition,  in  some  cases. 

The  porridge  which  is  to  be  honoured  by  absorption  into  your  mate- 
rial envelope  is  already  in  contpm])Iation.  Your  bedroom  is  also  being 
put  in  readiness,  whence  you  will  command  a  very  extensive  prospect 
of  smoke. 

Letter  to  Mr.  E.  J .  Broadfield  from  C.  Giles 

July  3,  1875. 

Your  favor  of  the  first  I  found  on  my  return  frnni  the  Highlands  last 
evening. 

I  should  like  very  much  to  go  to  Birmingham  and  I  may  find  time 

-<■{  259  }>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

to  do  so  on  my  route  to  London.  If  I  can  stop  I  will  write,  as  you 
suggest. 

We  have  not  had  very  favorable  weather  for  sightseeing  since  I 
came  here.  Indeed  it  has  rained  every  day  but  yesterday,  and  Thurs- 
day it  cleared  in  the  afternoon  and  we  had  a  view  of  the  Highlands, 
which  I  enjoyed  very  much.  I  found  Mr.  Potts  and  family  very  well, 
and  I  have  had  long  talks  widi  him  about  the  Church  in  general  and 
Glasgow  in  particular.  I  think  he  is  disposed  to  do  right  and  has  acted 
with  prudence,  but  I  will  tell  you  more  about  how  affairs  stand  here 
when  I  learn  more  and  see  you. 

I  recall  my  visit  to  Manchester  with  a  pleasure  which  continues  to 
accumulate  as  I  receive  new  expressions  of  kind  regard.  I  shall  return 
home  to  America  rich  with  treasures  which  can  never  be  taken  from  me, 
for  they  will  be  laid  up  in  the  heaven  of  a  grateful  heart. 

I  am  invited  to  "  a  reception  of  the  Associated  Churches  in  London  " 
next  week.    Wliat  can  all  this  mean? 

I  go  to  Edinburgh  Monday  and  there  they  invite  me  to  preach  and 
attend  a  reception  Monday  evening. 

To  Mrs.  Giles  from  her  Husband 

Keswick,  July  8,  1875. 

In  some  respects  Edinburgh  is  the  handsomest  and  the  most  interest- 
ing city  I  ever  saw.  The  old  part  of  the  town  shows  how  people  built 
their  houses  and  lived  in  olden  times  better  tlian  anything  I  have  seen. 
The  houses  are  eight  and  nine  stories  high  and  in  some  places  they  are 
built  around  courts,  of  which  we  have  heard  much,  but  I  never  had  a 
clear  idea  of  them  before.  The  streets  are  swarming  with  people.  Sol- 
diers are  mingling  with  them  and,  clustered  in  groups  here  and  there, 
witli  their  red  coats,  present  quite  a  brilliant  appearance.  I  went 
to  the  Castle,  which  has  so  many  historical  associations.  I  went  and 
I  went  until  I  was  so  tired  of  going  and  of  seeing  that  I  was  glad  to  go 
to  bed.  Of  course  I  saw  St.  Giles's  Cathedral  and  I  have  a  photograph 
of  it.  I  entered  the  pulpit,  but  I  did  not  preach  a  sermon.  It  is  the 
handsomest  pulpit  I  ever  saw.    But  more  of  that  another  time. 

Yesterday  I  succeeded  in  getting  away,  and  it  is  the  first  day  I  have 

-^  260  ^•- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

been  alone  and  permitted  to  do  as  I  pleased  since  I  came  to  this  country. 
I  radier  enjoyed  it.  I  went  to  Melrose  and  visited  Melrose  Abbey.  I 
shall  bring  you  some  photographs  of  it,  which  will  be  much  better  dian 
a  verbal  description.  Abbotsford,  the  residence  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  is 
about  three  miles  from  there.  I  rode  out  to  see  it,  but  it  was  not  a  day 
when  visitors  were  admitted  and  I  could  only  peep  at  it  through  the 
bars  of  a  gate.  I  was  much  disappointed  in  its  location.  It  is  down 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed,  surrounded  by  hills.  I  cannot  imagine  why 
Scott  should  build  there.  The  country  around  is  wonderfully  beauti- 
ful, but  none  of  it  can  be  seen  from  his  residence.  As  you  see,  I 
am  now  at  Keswick.  It  is  the  most  picturesque  and  beautiful  part  of 
England  that  I  have  seen.  The  hills  are  two  or  three  thousand  feet 
high  and  they  are  wonderfully  picturesque.  Derwent  Water,  the  lake 
in  Keswick,  is  about  the  size  of  some  of  the  ponds  in  Vermont.  I  did 
think  of  putting  it  in  my  pocket  and  bringing  it  home,  but  the  English 
people  think  so  much  of  it  I  concluded  to  let  it  be.  To-morrow  I  am 
going  to  see  Wordsworth's  home  and  Saturday  I  shall  go  to  London. 
If  you  knew  the  amount  of  walking  I  have  done  in  the  last  twenty-four 
hours  you  would  think  I  had  some  powers  of  locomotion  left.  You 
would  be  amused  to  see  tlie  English  walk,- — ^men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. I  never  saw  anything  like  it.  There  were  many  women  out 
to-day  in  the  wild  mountain  places  we  passed.  We  also  saw  several 
companies  of  men  and  one  company  of  boys,  with  tlieir  long  sticks  and 
bags,  rushing  along  as  though  they  were  walking  on  a  wager. 

I  am  enjoying  my  trip  very  well,  but  I  am  too  old  to  travel  and  I 
am  not  enough  of  a  talker  to  make  myself  interesting  to  others.  I  went 
to-day  with  a  carriage  full  of  people,  hut  I  hardly  spoke  to  any  one. 
I  was  glad  to  be  silent.  It  was  enough  to  commune  with  nature  and 
be  still.  I  thought  of  you  all  often,  and  wished  you  could  be  with  me, 
but  when  I  found  we  had  to  walk  two  miles  over  a  steep  mountain,  so 
steep  that  the  horses  could  pull  only  the  wagon  over  it,  I  was  glad 
you  were  not.  I  am  sure  you  could  not  have  done  it.  I  puffed  some 
but  do  not  feel  the  worse  for  it  now.  Indeed,  I  shall  take  a  walk  as 
soon  as  I  finish  my  letter. 

-4  261  }§.•- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

To  Mr.  Broadfield  from  C.  Giles 

Lancaster,  July  9,  1875. 

I  am  here  because  it  rains  and  I  am  writing  because  it  rains.  I  came 
from  Keswick  this  morning  and,  much  to  my  disappointment,  I  could 
not  stop  at  Rydal  Mount  on  account  of  the  weather,  but  I  had  a  glorious 
day  yesterday.  Isn't  the  lake  scenery  beautiful?  I  have  never  seen 
anything  like  it,  nor  anything  which  equalled  its  variety  and  pictur- 
esque beauty.  I  have  brought  away  with  me  many  a  lovely  picture 
which  will  comfort  and  bless  me  when  I  am  thousands  of  miles  away. 
How  I  should  like  to  spend  a  week  or  more  in  a  quiet  and  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  country  and  wait  long  enough  in  one  spot  for  the  pic- 
ture to  grow  into  me  and  become  a  part  of  my  being! 

The  night  I  reached  Keswick  I  thought  I  would  walk  around  Derwent 
Water;  I  would  surround  it  and  take  all  its  beauties  captive,  witliout 
saying  "  by  your  leave  "  to  any  one.  It  was  after  sunset  when  I  set  out, 
and  I  went  on  admiring  this  beautiful  glimpse  and  that  glorious  view. 
After  a  time  I  found  myself  with  two  stone  walls  on  each  side  of  me, 
and  a  pretty  dense  wood  besides,  but  I  went  on  in  the  hope  of  soon  catch- 
ing a  glimpse  of  the  water.  Finally  —  no,  not  finally,  but  gradually  — 
the  road  was  less  traveled  and  did  not  seem  to  me  to  lead  in  the  right 
direction,  but  I  was  sure  it  must  soon  turn  and  so  I  kept  on.  It  did 
turn.  There  was  just  light  enough  to  see  "  Thoroughfare  six  feet  wide  " 
in  large  letters.  "  Now  I  have  it,  I  shall  soon  come  to  the  lake  and 
find  my  way  around  it,"  I  thought.  But  instead  of  a  hospitable  way 
opening  to  me,  I  was  soon  confronted  by  a  closed  gate,  with  the  fearful 
words  over  it,  "  Any  person  found  trespassing  on  these  grounds  will 
be  prosecuted."  I  turned  back  and  soon  came  to  another  path  with  the 
same  ominous  words,  but  I  had  gone  so  far  I  could  not  think  of  giving 
up.  The  road,  however,  was  less  trodden  and  finally  I  came  to  the  end 
of  it,  when  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  turn  around  and  go  back  the 
way  I  came.  I  must  have  walked  six  or  eight  miles,  which  is  nothing 
to  an  Englishman,  who  must  be  bom  walking,  but  to  a  poor,  footsore, 
and  lame  Yankee!  Excuse  me,  but  I  was  revenged  the  next  day!  I  have 
the  whole  lake  in  my  possession  and  I  shall  carry  it  home  with  me. 

-'■4  262  ^- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

An  Account  of  the  Reception  in  London 

The  company  had  been  waiting  for  us  for  some  time.  Tea  was 
served  in  the  schoolroom,  which  was  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
The  room  is  large  and  was  filled  with  tables,  at  each  of  which  ten  or 
twelve  persons  could  sit.  They  had  the  inevitable  tea,  which  is  always 
good,  bread  and  butter,  cut  very  thin,  and  two  kinds  of  cake.  Dur- 
ing the  tea  a  bowl  was  passed  around  into  which  each  put  a  shilling, 
which  was  the  price  of  the  tea. 

Afterwards  the  company  adjourned  to  the  auditorium,  which  is  a 
large  and  handsome  room.  Seats  had  been  erected  in  front  of  the 
chancel  for  those  who  were  to  take  part  in  the  exercises.  Mr.  Pres- 
land,  the  minister  of  Argyle  Square  Church,  presided.  Dr.  Bayley, 
Mr.  Tafel,  Dr.  Batiman,  Mr.  Bruce  and  Gunter,  and  last,  your  husband. 
The  exercises  were  opened  by  tlie  singing  of  a  hymn  and  a  prayer  by 
Mr.  Bruce.  Mr.  Presland  stated  the  purpose  of  the  meeting  in  a  very 
neat  and  complimentary  speech.  Mr.  Tafel  then  read  the  address  of 
welcome,  which  you  will  see.  Then  I  had  to  stand  and  reply.  When 
I  rose  there  was  a  long  and  tremendous  clapping  of  hands,  and  I  found 
much  difficulty  in  beginning;  but  I  did  make  a  beginning  and  an  end. 
I  turned  the  tables  of  praise  upon  them  by  telling  how  well  Mr.  Bruce 
and  Dr.  Bayley  were  known  in  America,  and  got  through  tolerably 
well  —  that  is,  I  did  not  make  an  entire  failure  of  it. 

To  Mrs.  Giles 

H.\RwicH,  England,  July  17,  1875. 
Here  I  am  upon  the  east  coast  of  England,  an  involuntary  prisoner. 
I  left  London  yesterday,  as  I  said  I  should,  for  Germany.  When  the 
steamer  put  off  from  the  shore  she  got  her  wheel  fouled  with  the  chain 
of  anchor  to  another  vessel,  and  she  was  so  much  injured  by  it  that 
she  could  not  go  on.  So  we  came  ashore  and  put  up  at  a  hotel  in  which 
we  must  wait  until  this  evening.  I  say  "  we,"  and  will  explain.  A 
gentleman  in  London  by  the  name  of  Allen,  a  New  Churchman  who 
has  been  at  our  house  in  New  York,  was  going  to  Germany  last  week, 
but  hearing   I   was  to  preach   in   London   last  Sunday   and  was  tlien 

~4  263  ^ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

going  to  Germany,  he  postponed  his  visit  for  the  sake  of  hearing  me 
preach  and  of  going  witli  me.  He  understands  German,  and  has  a 
brother-in-law  about  fifteen  miles  from  Munich  whom  he  is  going  to 
visit  and  I  suppose  I  shall  go  with  him.  Isn't  it  kind  of  him?  I  cer- 
tainly have  no  occasion  to  find  fault  with  the  people  because  they  do 
not  "  make  much  of  me."  I  never  had  such  attention  paid  to  me  in  my 
life,  and  I  never  expect  to  or  hope  to  again.  It  is  really  painful  some- 
times, for  I  feel  that  I  have  never  done  anything  to  deserve  it.  I  think 
it  will  encourage  and  stimulate  me  to  do  more  to  make  myself  worthy 
of  esteem. 

The  Tafels  were  very  kind  to  me.  Mr.  Tafel  devoted  himself  to 
me  every  day  and  Mrs.  Tafel  did  everything  she  could  to  make  my 
visit  pleasant,  even  to  mending  my  coat.  She  is  a  lovely  woman,  is 
a  finished  musician  and  a  woman  of  high  culture  in  every  respect,  and 
yet  she  is  very  practical,  attends  to  all  the  household  affairs,  and  is 
just  such  a  wife  as  Mr.  Tafel,  who  is  devoted  to  his  books,  needs.  There 
is  an  innocence  about  her,  too,  which  is  very  attractive.  They  have  a 
very  pretty  house,  with  flowers  in  front  and  rear  of  the  house.  I  am 
much  surprised  at  London  in  many  respects.  You  cannot  form  much 
idea  of  its  size.  It  would  take  time  for  that.  It  has  many  magnificent 
buildings,  but  the  houses  are  generally  only  three  stories  high  and  they 
are  not  so  elegant  as  ours.  The  stores  are  generally  small,  and  they  are 
all  in  the  service  of  Her  Majesty  or  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  or 
some  prince  or  princess.  They  have  their  arms  over  the  doors  and  put 
on  airs  as  though  they  partook  of  the  royal  favor.  Tlie  whole  city  is 
traversed  by  an  imderground  railroad  which  is  very  convenient  and 
very  disagreeable.  I  have  seen  no  streets  yet  as  crowded  as  Broadway, 
but  some  of  them  are  crowded  enough.  I  have  not  seen  much  of  the 
city.  I  have  been  more  occupied  with  looking  at  the  people.  Wlien 
I  come  back  I  hope  to  have  a  more  particular  view  of  the  city.  I  shall 
stay  with  Dr.  Bayley  when  I  return  from  the  continent  —  but  only  for 
a  few  days.  I  have  agreed  to  preach  for  Mr.  Presland  on  the  8th  day 
of  August. 

From  Germany  there  are  several  interesting  descriptions,  but  as  the 
subjects  are  very  familiar  to  most  travelers  they  have  been  omitted. 

-^  264  ^- 


NEW   YORK    PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

I  do  not  expect  to  learn  much  about  art  or  many  other  things  which 
attract  the  attention  of  some  people,  but  I  hope  to  learn  something  about 
human  life  which  will  be  of  use  to  me  in  my  profession  and  1  think  I 
have  done  it  already.  If  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken,  my  journey  will 
be  of  great  use  to  me  as  a  minister. 

The  following  whimsical  description  of  the  "  House  in  the  Wood  " 
belongs  here,  although  the  account  is  written  at  a  later  date. 

I  tliink  you  would  like  to  know  something  about  my  visit  to  the 
Queen  of  Holland.  I  reached  the  palace,  which  is  not  a  very  imposing 
structure  but  covers  a  large  space,  three  minutes  before  the  time,  and 
was  informed  by  the  porter,  who  is  an  "  awfully  "  tall  and  portly  man, 
dressed  in  correct  style,  that  the  Queen  would  not  be  ready  to  receive 
me  until  ten.  He  took  my  parapluie  and  deposited  it  in  a  safe  place, 
and  I  waited  for  the  Queen  to  put  a  few  finishing  touches  to  her  toilet, 
I  suppose.  She  was  punctual  to  the  time,  however,  and  conducted  me 
llirough  the  palace. 

When  she  found  I  was  an  American  she  seemed  quite  pleased  and 
remarked  that  an  American,  Mr.  Motley,  was  the  best  historian  of  the 
Dutch  Republic,  and  she  would  show  me  his  portrait.  She  was  quite 
communicative  and  said  she  would  first  show  me  her  dining  room,  in 
which  she  never  dines  except  on  state  occasions.  She  begged  me  not 
to  step  on  the  rug,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  the  "  crumbcloth,"  as  it 
was  a  very  elegant  one,  presented  by  the  ladies  of  The  Hague.  Tt  was 
really  quite  beautiful  and  looked  as  though  it  was  not  made  to  be 
stepped  on.  It  resembled  a  magnificent  piece  of  Astrachan  cloth,  with 
a  border  and  fringe.  Then  she  showed  me  her  china,  —  first  a  large 
number  of  pieces  arranged  one  above  another  in  a  manner  to  show  to  the 
best  advantage.  She  said  they  were  two  hundred  years  old.  Mv  ad- 
miration was  two  hundred  times  as  great  as  it  would  have  been  if  it 
had  i)een  of  modern  |)ro(luction.  On  the  other  side  of  the  fireplace  was 
another  set  of  i  liiiia  which  she  said  was  three  hundred  and  fifty  years 
old,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  was,  for  it  looked  as  old  as  that,  and  my 
adiniralioii  was  increased  with  its  age.  When  she  said  it  was  a  present 
from  the  Emperor  of  China  my  amazement  knew  no  bounds.     \\  hen 

-<i  265  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  had  recovered  from  my  surprise  and  astonishment  she  showed  me  the 
figures  on  the  walls,  done  in  plaster.  Of  these  I  approved;  but  when  she 
said  they  were  two  hundred  years  old  my  admiration  grew  to  wonder, 
and  when  she  added  that  they  were  all  done  by  hand  I  was  completely 
overcome.  After  we  left  the  dining  room  we  went  into  the  Chinese 
room.  Everything  in  it  was  from  China  and  was  a  present  to  the 
Queen  from  tlie  Emperor  of  the  Sun  or  his  wife.  The  walls  were  cov- 
ered with  tapestry  of  Chinese  needlework;  so  were  the  chairs;  so  was 
everything.  From  this  we  passed  into  the  Japanese  room.  Here  was 
tapestry  of  the  finest  silk  on  which  landscapes  with  birds,  trees,  and 
flowers  were  wrought  with  such  a  striking  resemblance  to  nature  that 
you  really  could  tell  what  some  of  the  figures  were  designed  to  repre- 
sent, and  this  I  consider  great  praise.  The  Queen  assured  me  that  it 
was  "  all  done  widi  a  needle,  every  bit  of  it."  My  admiration  continued 
to  rise  and  I  think  my  eyes  must  have  begun  to  roll  in  their  sockets. 
We  passed  on  into  the  ballroom.  Here  my  amazement  culminated.  It 
was  an  octagon,  tlie  floor  of  oak  and  so  smooth  that  the  greatest  care 
was  necessary  to  stand  upright.  The  walls  and  the  ceiling,  which  was 
a  dome,  were  painted  in  fresco  by  some  artist.  I  beg  his  pardon,  but 
I  have  forgotten  his  name.  The  Queen  —  not  the  one  who  showed  us 
around,  but  one  of  a  former  generation  —  was  painted  in  the  centre  of 
the  dome  and  graciously  looked  down  upon  us.  The  paintings  were 
historical  and  allegorical,  representing  some  king  (I  beg  his  pardon, 
but  my  memory  for  names  is  proverbially  poor),  beginning  with  his 
birth,  which  was  quite  an  important  event  in  his  life,  and  ending  with 
his  deadi,  which  was  quite  as  important  as  his  birth.  The  figures  were 
as  large  as  life,  and  if  the  men  were  as  noble  and  the  women  as  beauti- 
ful as  the  pictures  the  Dutch  race  has  woefully  degenerated.  The  dress 
of  the  ladies  was  also  remarkable,  and  if  those  who  have  danced  in  this 
beautiful  room  wore  the  same  costume,  and  only  the  same,  while 
dancing,  they  must  have  created  a  sensation.  I  believe  it  is  what  is 
called  "  full  dress,"  only  it  was  a  little  fuller  than  ordinary,  and  must 
have  been  fashioned  after  Eve's,  before  she  indulged  in  eating  apples. 
The  Queen,  in  a  very  innocent  way,  explained  the  figures,  many  of 
which  were  portraits,  and  she  did  it  so  easily  and  in  such  a  matter- 

~'4_  266  ^^^  - 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

of-fact  way  that  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  she  had  done  it 
before. 

After  she  had  shown  me  everything  she  said,  "  Now,  Sir,  I  have  shown 
you  the  principal  public  apartments,  beginning  with  the  dining  room 
and  ending  with  the  ballroom,"  and  she  held  out  her  hand  as  though 
to  bid  me  a  reluctant  adieu.  Slate  affairs,  I  presumed,  might  be  press- 
ing. I  was  about  to  take  it  and  express  my  regret  that  my  time  was 
limited  and  I  could  not  remain  to  dinner;  but  luckily  I  discovered  that 
the  palm  lay  open  and  horizontal,  as  if  to  receive  rather  than  to  give. 
Well,  I  suppose  she  has  many  expenses  and  the  times  may  be  hard,  so, 
not  to  be  outdone  in  courtesy,  I  gave  her  a  silver  coin,  —  a  gulden, 
worth  about  thirty-seven  and  one  half  cents.  She  thanked  me  very 
kindly.  Her  feelings  did  not  seem  to  be  hurt  in  the  least  and  she 
bowed  me  out.  I  saw  others  coming  in.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if 
she  would  have  to  go  through  the  same  story.  So  you  see,  Dutch  as  well 
as  American  queens  have  to  work  for  a  living.  I  had  been  told  that 
the  grand  man  at  the  door,  in  gold  lace  and  silk  stockings,  would  not 
feel  hurt  if  I  offered  him  a  gratuity.  Poor  fellow!  It  must  be  tire- 
some standing  at  the  door  all  day  and  telling  people  to  put  their  para- 
pluic  in  the  rack.  The  reason  he  says  that  is,  I  suppose,  because  the 
roof  of  the  palace  is  well  shingled  and  does  not  leak,  and  it  would 
be  a  hindrance  to  carry  an  umbrella  around  all  the  rooms.  I  gave  the 
man  —  I  wish  I  knew  his  name  —  ten  cents,  and  he  seemed  wonderfully 
pleased. 

Having  some  more  time  upon  my  hands  before  the  train  left,  I  went 
into  the  gallery  of  paintings  and  saw  two  which  were  almost  equal  to 
the  Chinese  needlework.  One  was  "The  Bull,"  by  Paul  Potter,  and 
the  other  was  by  Teniers.  I  don't  know  the  name  of  it,  but  I  should 
think  it  ought  to  be  called  "The  Bread  Distributor,"  for  that  seemed 
to  be  what  was  represented.  The  picture  by  Potter  was  the  most  won- 
derful one  I  ever  saw.  It  was  life  itself.  I  had  no  book  with  me  and 
I  did  not  know  who  painted  it.  I  kinvv  it  was  a  great  painting,  and  in 
describing  it  to  some  one  afterwards  he  said,  "  That  must  have  been 
'The  Bull'  by  Paul  Potter.    That  is  a  world-renowned  jiainting." 

From  Switzerland  he  writes  of  a  sunset  in  the  Alps: 

-  <\  267  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Mount  Rhici,  August  25,  1875. 

The  mountains  seemed  as  though  they  were  playing  ^s■ith  the  clouds, 
wreathing  themselves  in  their  folds  and  smiling  through  them,  playing 
at  bo-peep  with  each  other.  Sometimes  I  wanted  to  shout,  "  Glory 
Hallelujah,"  and  again  my  eyes  would  fill  with  tears.  But  they  were 
not  tears  of  sorrow.  Ah,  my  child,  perhaps  you  will  tliink  your  old 
father  is  growing  sentimental.  He  does  sometimes  feel  as  if  he  were 
renewing  his  youth,  but  not  growing  childish.  I  thought  of  you  and 
wished  you  could  stand  with  me.  You  would  have  carried  the  picture 
with  you  forever. 

As  the  sun  sank  toward  the  horizon  the  clouds  seemed  to  melt  away 
very  gradually;  the  mountain  peaks  came  out  in  clear  outline,  and  some 
of  the  highest,  which  we  had  not  seen,  became  visible.  It  was  a  glorious 
sight,  far  more  interesting  than  it  would  have  been  if  there  had  been 
no  clouds.  As  the  sun's  rays  struck  tlie  sides  of  the  mountains  more 
directly  they  glowed  more  brightly.  One  peak  would  cast  its  shadow 
like  a  dark  mantle  around  the  sides  of  an  opposite  peak,  which  by 
contrast  made  its  face  glow  all  the  brighter.  The  clouds  are  still  fading 
away,  and  point  after  point,  and  line  after  line,  comes  out  in  clearer 
fonn.  The  light  is  also  changing  from  pure  white.  It  is  becoming 
dyed  with  pink  and  die  glaciers  and  llie  face  of  the  mountain  are 
gradually  flushed  with  it.  Oh,  what  a  glory  was  spread  over  the  sum- 
mit of  the  lofty  peaks  while  the  lower  ones  lay  in  shadow! 

But  the  darkness  kept  sweeping  up  from  below.  All  darkness  comes 
from  the  earth;  finally  the  sun  shone  only  on  the  purple  garments  of 
the  Jungfrau.  And  now  the  last  rays  have  fallen  upon  her.  The  sun 
has  sunk  behind  the  horizon.  I  have  seen  a  clear  sunset  on  the  Alps 
and  I  am  sure  I  shall  never  forget  it. 

Then  a  change  took  place  which  suqirised  me  more  than  any  which 
I  had  seen.  The  mountain  peaks  which  had  seemed  to  pierce  the 
heavens  now  sank  down  to  a  common  level,  and  the  remote  chains  drew 
nearer.  Their  apparent  approach  was  quite  startling.  They  looked 
gray  and  cold;  they  seemed  to  be  divested  of  all  their  beauty  and 
much  of  their  grandeur.  The  disenchantment  was  wonderful.  The 
changed  appearance  was  due  to  the  disappearance  of  light.  It  seemed 

-4  268  ^■- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

to  me  that  I  had  learned  a  great  lesson  in  life  —  the  use  of  shadows 
and  of  various  degrees  of  light.  1  tliink  I  have  learned  much  which 
will  be  of  use  to  me  in  my  vocation. 

There  were  many  English  people  present,  and  also  some  Americans. 
I  could  not  help  hearing  the  expression  of  one  lady  who  stood  near  me. 
"Oh,  look!"  she  said  to  a  gentleman  standing  near  her.  '"What  a 
lovely  mountain;  it  looks  just  like  a  wedding  cake."  I  suppose  she  had 
recently  eaten  of  her  own  and  could  think  of  nothing  more  beautiful. 
As  the  mists  cleared  away  and  the  mountain's  form  was  more  fully  re- 
vealed, the  resemblance  became  more  striking  and  her  exclamations 
more  frequent  and  enthusiastic.  An  immense  glacier,  hundreds  of 
feet  deep,  was  the  frosting,  and  on  one  side  it  seemed  to  have  been  cut 
sheer  down,  so  that  you  could  see  the  thickness  of  the  frosting  and  the 
size  of  the  cake.  Perhaps  it  is  the  cake  which  was  made  when  the 
Jungfrau  was  married. 

Of  the  sunrise  the  next  morning  he  says: 

There  were  probably  two  hundred  men  and  women  huddled  together 
upon  the  pinnacle  of  Mount  Rhigi.  I  found  a  place  sheltered  from  the 
cold  west  wind  and  looked  in  the  west  rather  than  in  the  east  for  the 
first  indications  of  the  sun's  coming,  for  I  knew  tiiat  tlie  group  of  moun- 
tain peaks  of  which  the  Jungfrau  forms  one  was  much  the  highest  and 
that  the  sun's  rays  would  first  strike  their  sharp  points.  And  they  did. 
First  their  very  points,  which  seemed  shaqj  and  well  defined,  were 
flushed  witli  rose  color.  Gradually  the  whole  range  became  illuminated. 
It  was  a  grand  sight,  which  is  not  given  to  every  visitor  to  see.  And  now, 
as  the  light  increased,  a  wonderful  transformation  was  seen,  the  reverse 
of  that  which  took  place  in  the  evening.  The  mountains  began  to  break 
the  line  and  to  take  their  proper  positions.  Some  of  them  receded  to  a 
great  distance  and  assumed  tlioir  proper  colors  and  forms.  The  light 
fell  down  into  the  valleys  like  a  benediction  and  revealed  rock  and  tree 
and  hill,  lake  and  habitation,  until  evfry  nook  was  penetrated  by  it. 
The  transformation  was  magical  beyond  description.  There  was  not 
a  cloud  in  the  sky,  and  tlie  mountain  fonns  were  defined  in  the  sharpest 
outlines. 

-4  269  )e»~- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

To  Mr.  Broadfield 

Zurich,  August  30,  1875. 

I  feel  that  I  have  become  greatly  enriched  by  my  summer's  tour. 
I  count  over  the  additions  to  my  life's  treasure  which  I  made  in  Man- 
chester. I  never  estimated  so  fully  the  value  of  an  acquaintance  with 
those  whom  one  can  esteem  and  love.  It  is  a  new  way  of  access  to  the 
Lord  and  they  are  new  mediums  of  communicating  His  life  to  us. 
Roseleigh  will  hereafter  be  a  pleasant  and  a  precious  spot  to  me,  and 
I  feel  as  though  I  could  not  thank  you  too  much  for  bringing  together 
so  many  pleasant  people  during  the  Conference. 

I  am  sometimes  very  lonely,  and  then  again  I  am  glad  to  be  alone. 
Tlie  forms  of  nature  around  me  are  a  more  quiet  speech  than  any 
human  voice.  Sometimes  I  hardly  know  whether  I  am  a  boy  or  an  old 
man,  but  I  soon  find  out  when  I  begin  to  climb  the  mountains. 

I  must  look  upon  Mount  Blanc.  My  knowledge  of  the  Alps,  previous 
to  my  coming  here,  gained  almost  wholly  from  the  poet  Byron's  descrip- 
tion of  a  thunder  storm  in  the  Alps,  has  haunted  me  ever  since  I 
came,  and  yesterday  I  could  endure  it  no  longer,  so  I  bought  "  Childe 
Harold  "  and  am  reading  it. 

After  crossing  the  Alps  into  Italy  Mr.  Giles  writes  from  Milano, 
September  21st,  1875: 

I  have  visited  several  churches  here.  I  saw  nothing  in  them  which 
interested  me  particularly,  except  the  original  of  the  "Last  Supper," 
by  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  I  was  much  affected  by  the  face  and  head  of 
the  Saviour.  I  have  never  seen  anything  like  it.  It  is  full  of  majesty, 
sweetness,  and  sorrow. 

Of  Florence  he  says: 

It  is  the  most  interesting  city  I  have  seen  since  I  left  home,  and  of  all 
foreign  cities  I  think  I  should  prefer  it  as  a  residence. 

Here  he  visited  a  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Hiram  Powers,  the  sculptor.  He 
thus  speaks  of  the  family: 

-"^  270  ^•- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,   1875-1877 

They  are  charming  people  and  they  seemed  to  like  me.  They  fancied 
that  I  resembled  Mr.  Powers.  I  had  a  most  pressing  invitation  to 
remain  longer  with  tliem,  and  when  I  come  again  I  must  come  directly 
to  their  house.  The  different  families  of  the  Powers  (there  are  four  or 
five  of  them)  live  near  each  other  and  form  a  kind  of  English  settle- 
ment. There  are  also  some  other  artists  who  live  near,  among  them 
Mr.  Ball,  the  American  sculptor.  Wliile  I  was  there  Wehli,  the  pianist, 
called  with  his  wife,  who  is  out  of  health.  Wehli  has  lost  his  money 
and  is  going  to  settle  in  Florence  and  give  music  lessons.  I  had  quite 
a  talk  with  him  about  America,  though  I  did  not  know  until  he  left 
that  he  was  tlie  great  pianist,  for  they  pronounce  his  name  "  Vaily," 
which  I  misunderstood  for  "  Bailey." 

Florence  is  full  of  pictures  and  works  of  art  of  all  kinds.  I  saw 
the  first  telescope,  the  one  which  Galileo  made  and  looked  through,  and 
I  tliink  it  interested  me  more  than  any  of  the  great  paintings  I  have 
seen,  save  a  few. 

I  spent  the  afternoon  in  the  gallery  of  paintings,  where  tliere  are 
some  of  the  greatest  works  of  art  in  the  world.  There  is  no  mistake 
about  it,  the  old  chaps  did  know  how  to  paint.  But  it  requires  months 
of  study  to  appreciate  them,  and  some  one  who  knows  more  about  art 
than  I  do.  I  can  only  tell  when  a  picture  pleases  me  and  —  would  you 
believe  it?  —  I  am  such  a  Goth  that  I  like  some  modem  paintings  better 
than  the  ancient. 

I  think  the  young  women  in  Italy  are  fine  looking.  They  have  large 
dark  eyes  and  look  intelligent.  I  presume  they  preserve  their  good 
looks  much  better  among  the  middle  and  upper  classes,  but  the  women 
of  the  lower  classes  grow  dreadfully  ugly.  Their  faces  are  wrinkled 
and  look  dry,  like  old  parchment,  and  their  forms  are  bent  and  tlieir 
eyes  glow  like  fire.  I  saw  a  woman  yesterday,  thin,  shrivelled,  bent, 
ugly,  whose  face  made  me  shiver.  She  embodied  my  ideal  of  the 
impersonation  of  evil.  But  the  boys  and  girls  look  bright  and  I  under- 
stand that  they  are;  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  Italy  would  again  take 
a  high  rank  in  the  intellectual  world.  A  gentleman  in  Florence  told 
me  that  there  is  as  much  freedom  in  Italy  now  as  in  England.  Papers 
containing  all  opinions  are  published,  and  books  of  every  kind  are 

— g{  271  Is— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

freely  admitted.     The  Italy  of  to-day,  he  says,  is  not  at  all  die  Italy 
of  twenty  years  ago. 

Rome,  August  1,  1875. 

Rome  is  unlike  all  my  conceptions  of  it.  My  ideas  of  it  were  formed 
almost  wholly  from  classical  reading,  and  it  seems  so  poor  and  small 
and  mean  compared  with  my  imaginings  that  I  can  hardly  believe  tliat 
it  is  Rome,  the  city  that  was  once  the  mistress  of  the  world  and  that 
now  claims  to  be  the  centre  and  source  of  religious  knowledge  and 
life. 

I  spent  yesterday  in  St.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican.  St.  Peter's  is  grand. 
That  equals  my  expectations.  I  spent  all  the  time  I  could  in  it  and  the 
more  I  stayed  the  more  it  grew  upon  me,  and  I  suppose  it  would  con- 
tinue to  do  so  if  I  should  visit  it  every  day  for  a  month.  I  spent  the 
morning  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  and  tried  to  get  as  good  an  idea  as  I  could 
of  Raphael's  greatest  work  and  of  die  greatest  works  of  the  kind  in  tlie 
world.  The  paintings  are  grand,  but  to  a  New  Churchman  the  ideas, 
which  are  those  of  his  time,  seem  very  puerile. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  the  galleries  and  saw  some  of  the  master- 
pieces of  the  world.  Some  of  them  were  horrible  in  subject,  and  how 
any  human  being  could  bear  to  paint  tlieni  I  do  not  see.  I  am  so  tired  of 
seeing  madonnas  and  babies  and  Josephs  and  Maries  and  saints  of  all 
descriptions  that  it  would  be  a  relief  to  see  a  good  sinner,  well  painted. 
I  am  wearied  also  with  seeing  "  Pius,  P.M.,"  which  would  be  quite 
agreeable  if  it  meant  a  pious  postmaster,  which  I  suppose  it  does  not. 
I  have  seen  the  noble  and  beautiful  in  art  and  tlie  mean  and  squalid  in 
human  beings.  I  have  seen  the  most  lavish  richness  of  ornament  and 
human  poverty  in  its  lower  forms. 

I  have  spent  nearly  tlie  whole  day  in  ancient  Rome.  I  have  been  in 
the  house  where  Caesar  was  bom.  I  have  stood  on  the  spot  where 
Cicero's  house  is  said  to  have  been.  I  tried  to  bring  the  old  Romans 
back  and  repeople  the  spot  with  them.  I  have  wandered  around  the 
Forum  and  the  Coliseum  and  along  the  Via  Sacra,  treading  on  the  very 
stones  which  Virgil  and  Cicero  and  Horace  and  Pompey  and  Scipio 
and  Caesar  and  Brutus  and  a  multitude  of  others  have  trod.  I  can  assure 
you  that  it  has  been  an  interesting  day,  and  one  which  I  shall  not  soon 

-4  272  }§e~- 


NEW  YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

forget.     I  feel  now  as  if  I  should  like  to  review  my  classical  studies. 
But  that  I  shall  never  do. 

New  York,  October  26,  1875. 
My  dear  Friend: 

You  see  by  the  date  of  my  letter  that  I  am  safely  in  my  own  coimtry 
once  more. 

I  found  it  very  difficult  to  get  away  from  England.  From  the  power 
ol  attraction,  or  from  some  otlier  cause,  the  steamer  could  not  leave 
until  night  had  cast  her  shadows  upon  the  earth  and  hid  the  island  home 
of  so  many  dear  friends  from  my  view.  A  fog  gatliered  around  us 
so  that  neither  the  captain  nor  I  could  tell  in  which  direction  lay  my 
native  country.  But  it  cleared  away,  and  we  steamed  slowly  from  one 
class  of  dear  friends  to  another. 

I  know  that  I  have  gained  much  by  my  visit.  I  have  enlarged  the 
horizon  of  my  thoughts  and  affections,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  becoming 
greatly  enriched  by  the  —  I  was  going  to  say  —  friends  I  have  made, 
but  they  must  have  been  made  before.  It  is  the  exact  truth  to  say  the 
friends  I  discovered.  I  feel  that  I  have  largely  increased  my  world. 
Its  horizon  stretches  much  fartlier  away  and  embraces  many  more  inter- 
esting objects  of  thought  and  affection. 

I  know  how  busy  I  shall  be  when  I  put  on  the  harness  and  begin  my 
work.  I  know  how  absorbed  I  shall  be  in  it;  how  I  shall  write  to  weari- 
ness of  myself,  —  and  others,  too,  perhaps.  But  I  am  sure  I  shall 
think  of  the  pleasant  hours  and  kind  faces  and  warm  hearts  in  England 
when  I  am  writing  and  working,  and  unless  I  greatly  change  I  shall  be 
addressing  you  as  well  as  others,  nearer  in  the  body,  perhaps,  but  not 
so  near  in  the  spirit. 

I  feel  deeply  thankful  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  make  this  visit, 
and  I  shall  try  to  profit  by  it  as  much  as  possible. 

Mr.  Giles  writes  in  December,  187.5: 

Tlie  year  has  been  a  very  hard  one  and  a  very  pleasant  one.  I  have 
traveled  over  the  greater  part  of  Europe;  I  have  written  many  sermons, 
and  I  have  written  at  least  two  pages  of  tlie  Messenger  every  week,  be- 

-4  273  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

sides  many  other  things.  I  think  I  have  not  wasted  much  time,  and  I 
hope  I  have  performed  some  use. 

Those  who  have  attended  church  have  appeared  to  be  much  pleased, 
and  I  seem  to  have  a  stronger  hold  upon  the  people  than  I  have  ever 
had.     I  hope  it  is  one  which  will  last  and  be  for  their  good. 

I  can  see  that  I  have  made  many  mistakes,  and  if  I  had  my  work  to 
do  over  again  I  should  work  in  a  very  different  way.  I  would  do  much 
more  work  with  individuals  and  would  rely  much  less  upon  mere 
preaching.  But  I  had  no  training  for  my  work  when  I  began  it,  except 
a  little  knowledge  of  the  doctrines.  Wliat  an  absurdity!  —  to  set  a 
man  over  a  society  and  put  die  special  care  of  souls  into  his  hands 
when  he  has  no  preparation  for  it. 

Our  society  is  spiritually  in  a  very  prosperous  state.  I  have  never 
seen  any  society  in  which  there  was  such  a  sphere  of  harmony.  Our 
meetings,  both  for  worship  and  social  life,  are  very  pleasant  and  well 
attended.  I  do  not  know  of  one  person  who  is  disaffected,  though  there 
may  be  such.  A  lady  who  is  pretty  familiar  with  the  whole  society 
says  she  never  saw  such  a  state  of  harmony  and  unity.  Financially,  we 
are  about  in  the  same  condition  that  we  have  been.  How  poor  the 
people  do  feel!  I  believe  rich  people  always  feel  poor  when  they  are 
not  actually  making  money.  I  never  made  any,  so  I  do  not  know  so 
well  what  the  feeling  is.  I  shall  soon  be  where  earthly  riches  will  not 
benefit  me  much  and  where  earthly  poverty  can  do  me  no  harm. 
Happy  indeed  will  it  be  for  me  if  I  am  spiritually  rich. 

It  seems  as  though  rich  men  tliought  they  were  better  than  other  men 
and  deserving  of  more  attention.  There  is  great  danger  in  riches, 
both  spiritual  and  material.  The  blessing  pronounced  upon  the  poor 
must  come  in  the  order  of  the  Divine  Providence. 

In  April,  1876,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  have  just  commenced  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Messenger  on  Spirit- 
ual Culture,  a  subject  upon  which  I  have  thought  much,  and  if  I  should 
succeed  in  saying  anything  worth  preservation  I  may  publish  them 
after  they  have  been  rewritten.  I  presume  they  will  be  somewhat 
crude  at  first;  perhaps  they  will  at  last. 

-•s{;{  274  ^'~ 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

Of  his  work  during  this  month  he  says: 

I  have  done  about  as  much  as  I  could.  I  have  written  a  sermon  every 
week,  and  what  was  equal  to  a  sermon  for  the  Messenger,  besides  all 
my  other  duties.  I  have  kept  scratching  away  most  of  the  time.  Now 
I  have  a  much  harder  month  before  me.  I  must  begin  my  address  to 
the  Convention.  I  have  the  Association,  and  there  are  many  other 
duties  to  perform ;  I  must  begin  in  earnest  to-morrow  to  perform  them. 

One  day's  work  is  thus  described : 

This  has  been  a  day  of  hard  and  somewhat  successful  work.  I  wrote 
a  story  for  the  children  of  twenty  pages  of  note  paper,  and  I  wrote 
twenty  pages  on  my  sermon,  finished  it,  and  attended  a  meeting  at 
Cooper  Union.  It  seems  as  though  I  have  some  capacity  for  work  re- 
maining. I  had  not  much  idea  that  I  could  write  the  story,  but  the  idea 
came  to  me  in  the  morning  and  I  began  it  and  it  seemed  to  write  itself. 
If  I  had  given  myself  up  to  it  I  think  I  could  have  made  myself  useful 
in  writing  for  children.  Even  now  I  suppose  I  might  do  something  in 
that  way  if  I  had  not  so  much  else  to  do. 

The  following  Sunday  was  typical  of  many  in  New  York.  Distances 
there  are  so  great  that  in  order  to  hold  services  in  Brooklyn  and  other 
outlying  districts  much  time  and  strength  must  be  consumed  in  going 
from  place  to  place. 

It  has  been  a  day  of  labor.  I  wrote  on  my  discourse  as  long  as  I 
could,  and  then  set  out  for  Brooklyn  with  Lucy.  Reached  there  just  in 
time  for  the  morning's  service.  Preached  for  Mr.  Ager,  and  after 
service  Mrs.  B.  drove  me  around  to  Mr.  D's.  I  had  some  lunch  and  a 
little  rest.  Wrote  an  introduction  to  the  prayer  and  the  prayer  itself 
before  leaving  the  house.  Went  to  church  and  delivered  the  discourse. 
Rode  to  the  cemetery  and  performed  the  service  there.  Afterwards  I 
went  as  fast  as  I  could  to  Bergen  and  lectured,  and  then  came  home, 
which  I  reached  about  eleven  o'clock,  as  tired  as  one  need  be  to  have 
a  good  rest.  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday  passed  in  tlie  usual 
routine  work. 

-♦4  275  }•>■■- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

May  10,  1876.  This  day  closes  the  sixty-third  of  my  life.  When 
I  look  back  over  it,  it  seems  wonderful  how  the  Lord  has  led  me  from 
my  humble  home  among  the  hills  in  Massachusetts  to  accomplish  even 
the  little  lliat  I  have.  I  can  see  how  I  have  been  checked,  my  way 
absolutely  blocked,  at  times,  how  I  have  been  guided  and  restrained 
and  helped.  But  die  little  I  can  see  is  as  nothing  to  what  I  cannot 
see.  What  dreadful  mistakes  I  have  made,  and  yet  out  of  them  it 
seems  as  though  I  could  perceive  that  the  Lord  had  led  me  to  some  of 
my  greatest  blessings.  If  I  had  been  more  patient,  more  diligent,  more 
persevering  and  less  afraid  of  men,  or  rather,  less  timid  in  meeting 
with  them,  how  much  more  good  I  might  have  done!  And  yet  who 
knows? 

I  should  like  to  leave  some  things  behind  me  to  work  when  I  am  gone. 
Every  man  has  his  own  way  of  putting  truth.  The  Divine  Truth  takes 
on  the  form  of  his  own  mind  and  a  new  variety  is  created,  so  my  way  of 
stating  the  Divine  Truth  may  be  more  useful  to  some  minds  than  that 
of  any  other  man.  Thus  it  behooves  me  to  do  as  much  work  as  I  can, 
and  to  give  utterance  to  the  truth  in  a  form  which  will  be  as  interesting 
and  useful  as  possible. 

What  Mr.  Giles  now  expresses  about  reading  was  equally  true  for 
him  with  regard  to  music.  The  suggestion  for  many  a  sermon  came  to 
him  while  listening  to  a  Beethoven  symphony.  The  harmonies  heard 
resolved  themselves  into  harmonies  of  thought. 


■■d' 


It  is  curious  what  effect  reading  has  upon  me.  It  always  excites 
thought  upon  the  subject  I  have  in  mind,  however  foreign  it  may  be  to 
the  topic  under  consideration.  I  stopped  reading  several  times  and 
went  to  writing,  and  made  some  progress  upon  my  sermon. 

The  calm  way  in  which  personal  criticism  was  met  by  Mr.  Giles  is 
well  illustrated  here: 

I  found  in  Mr.  Miller's  Independent  an  attack  on  me  by  Mr.  . 


He  must  be  "  spoiling  for  a  fight,"  as  the  boys  say,  to  volunteer  his 
services  and  go  so  much  out  of  his  way  to  say  something  against  me. 
If  he  was  as  zealous  in  working  with  New  Churchmen  as  he  is  in  work- 
ing against  them,  he  would  be  a  most  lovable  and  valuable  member. 

-4  276  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

June  9,  1876.  I  was  not  renominated  as  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Publications.  Some  new  members  were  elected.  I  am  happily  free 
from  all  responsibility  from  that  quarter  now. 

I  was  reelected  President  of  the  Convention  by  five  majority  over  all 
votes  and  by  twenty-four  over  the  highest  candidate.  I  wish  I  could 
do  something  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  New  Church  throughout 
the  country,  something  much  more  efficient  than  I  have  ever  done. 

When  Mr.  Giles  went  to  Europe,  in  July,  1875,  the  family  moved 
from  the  house  in  Thirty-fifth  Street  and  the  furniture  was  stored. 
Upon  his  return  in  the  autumn  apartments  were  taken  on  the  comer  of 
Fifty-second  Street  and  Broadway.  These  were  occupied  for  a  year, 
and  October  of  1876  finds  the  family  in  apartments  on  Twenty-fourth 
Street. 

In  a  letter  from  London  Mr.  Giles  had  expressed  very  friendly  feel- 
ings for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tafel  and  his  wife.  It  was  therefore  very  pain- 
ful to  him  to  learn  that  Mr.  Tafel,  who  was  now  visiting  this  country, 
tliought  my  father  was  working  against  him. 

Letter  to  Mr.  L.  H.  Tafel  from  C.  Giles 

New  York,  October  17,  1876. 

I  called  at  your  brother's  store  yesterday  but  was  disappointed  not 
to  find  you  there.  I  want  to  see  you  very  much  before  you  leave  for 
home.  I  would  exceedingly  regret  to  have  you  leave  with  the  impres- 
sion you  now  have,  as  I  learn  from  your  friends,  that  I  am  un- 
friendly to  you  and  that  I  have  tried  to  prevent  the  circulation  of  your 
book  by  giving  it  a  name  which  would  excite  prejudice  against  it. 

There  is  not  a  particle  of  truth  in  either  assertion.  I  have  not  an 
unfriendly  feeling  in  my  heart  towards  you.  On  the  contrary,  I  greatly 
admire  your  learning  and  your  devotion  to  the  New  Church  and  tliink 
you  are  performing  a  great  use  in  it. 

I  assure  you  that  I  have  no  desire  to  prevent  the  publication  of  your 
book.  Not  ht'iiii^  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Publications,  I  have  no 
voice  in  determining  its  action,  but  some  of  its  members  have  consulted 
me  about  the  propriety  of  publishing  it  and  I  have  always  advised  the 
Board  to  do  it. 

It  has  been  a  source  of  regret  to  myself  and  to  Mrs.  Giles  that  we 

-"€{  277  )s^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

could  not  give  you  and  Mrs.  Tafel  more  personal  attention,  both  for 
our  own  pleasure  and  as  some  slight  return  for  your  great  kindness 
to  me  when  I  was  in  London.  But  it  has  been  impossible  for  us  to  invite 
you  to  our  o\vn  house  for  the  simple  reason  that  we  had  no  room  to 
make  you  even  comfortable.  I  have  been  prostrated  with  the  heat  this 
summer  and  am  yet  hardly  able  to  do  the  work  which  I  am  compelled 
to  do.  We  shall  try  to  see  you  before  you  sail.  If  we  should  not,  you 
and  Mrs.  Tafel  will  carry  with  you  our  sincere  wishes  for  a  safe  and 
pleasant  voyage  and  for  a  long  life  of  usefulness  in  your  great  and  im- 
portant field  of  labor.  We  sincerely  hope  you  will  believe  tliat  I  have 
none  but  the  kindest  wishes  for  your  welfare  and  usefulness.  .  .  . 

Two  letters  of  advice  to  friends: 

To  one  who  Thought  of  Making  Writing  his  Profession 

I  do  not  think  I  could  give  you  much  encouragement  to  engage  in 
literary  work  for  any  financial  reasons.  I  think  I  should  prefer  to  go 
West  and  fight  with  the  grasshoppers  for  existence.  But  if  you  have  use 
to  others  as  a  primary  end,  then  I  say  go  ahead  and  do  the  best  you 
can,  which  I  am  sure  will  be  good  enough  to  accomplish  your  purpose. 
Your  article  for  the  children  was  well  done  and  shows  that  you  have 
ability  in  that  direction.  I  doubt  not  you  would  meet  with  some  measure 
of  success  as  a  writer,  and  I  am  sure  you  would  succeed  in  doing  good 
and  consequently  in  getting  good,  but  how  much  would  come  in  the 
way  of  income  I  cannot  say.  I  hope,  however,  you  will  go  on  and  do 
what  you  can,  but  by  no  means  depend  upon  it  for  support. 

On  the  Study  of  Swedenborg 

You  ask  about  reading  Swedenborg  every  day.  As  a  general  rule  I 
think  it  is  useful  to  read  some  every  day,  if  you  do  not  read  too  much. 
If  only  one  number  is  attentively  read  (perhaps  one  is  better  than 
more),  so  tliat  the  idea  is  well  fixed  in  the  mind  and  made  the  subject 
of  some  reflection,  it  would  be  a  great  help  in  spiritual  growth.  This  is 
what  should  be  our  aim.  It  is  not  of  so  great  importance  to  know  much 
as  it  is  to  use  what  we  know  for  spiritual  growth.    And  that  is  effected 

-^  278  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

by  reflecting  upon  what  we  learn  and  applying  it  to  life.  I  am  more 
and  more  impressed  every  day  with  the  importance  of  setting  before 
us  as  the  end  of  life,  to  love  to  be  useful. 

The  year  1877  opened  with  a  course  of  lectures  which  were  remark- 
ably well  attended.     Mr.  Giles  speaks  of  tliem  in  several  letters. 

January  29,  1877. 

I  began  a  course  of  four  lectures  last  night  in  our  church.  For  once, 
and  tlie  first  time,  the  house  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  The 
audience  was  a  very  appreciative  and  good  one.  They  listened  with 
profound  attention,  and  there  were  many  expressions  of  satisfaction 
and  a  determination  to  come  again  by  strangers  who  were  present.  I 
have  never  seen  the  faces  of  our  people  look  so  bright.  No  one  came 
with  the  expectation  of  seeing  such  an  audience,  and  some  thought  there 
would  not  be  more  than  a  hundred  present.  They  were  so  overjoyed 
that  they  could  hardly  go  home. 

There  is  also  a  large  increase  in  the  attendance  in  the  morning.  The 
house  has  been  well  filled  for  the  last  three  Sundays,  which  are  the  only 
pleasant  Sundays  we  have  had  this  winter.  Our  people  are  all  very 
much  encouraged  by  the  interest  which  seems  to  be  felt,  as  they  have 
good  reason  to  be. 

February  19,  1877. 
Last  night,  when  the  lecture  was  over,  two  gentlemen  came  up  to  me, 
and  after  some  conversation  wished  to  know  if  I  would  not  deliver  the 
course  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Masonic  Temple  on  tlie  comer  of 
Twenty-third  Street  and  Sixth  Avenue.  They  were  Masons  and  said 
they  would  use  their  influence  to  get  the  hall  at  a  merely  nominal  cost. 
The  subject  is  now  under  consideration.  This  comes  from  people  who 
are  not  New  Churchmen  and  looks  ver)'  significant.  Of  course  I  shall 
accept  if  the  proposition  is  run  in  a  practicable  manner.  The  hall  will 
seat  one  thousand  people  and  is  very  central  and  accessible.  Nothing 
in  the  New  Church  has  ever  made  such  a  stir  in  New  York  as  these 
lectures.  I  Icam  from  many  sources  that  they  are  much  talked  about, 
and  very  favorably,  loo.    W.  says  the  boys  at  school  speak  about  them 

-4  279  Yj^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

and  want  to  know  if  it  is  his  fatlier  who  is  drawing  such  crowds  of 
people.  People  come  from  Harlem,  Brooklyn,  and  Jersey  City,  and  the 
interest  has  been  very  great.  The  class  of  people  is  also  a  very  good 
one,  and  I  could  not  ask  for  better  attention.  Well,  I  hope  some  good 
has  been  done,  and  tlie  Lord  be  praised  for  it. 

We  are  all  well  and  everything  goes  on  in  its  usual  quiet  round. 
The  principal  difficulties  we  have  to  encounter  are  getting  up  in  the 
morning  and  going  to  bed  at  night,  but  we  manage  to  overcome  them 
every  day. 

In  January,  1877,  the  correspondence  with  Miss  Holmes,  afterwards 
Mme.  Humann  of  Paris,  began.  Letters  were  interchanged  for  fifteen 
years.  In  them  Miss  Holmes  wrote  for  counsel  and  help  in  meeting 
tlie  needs  of  the  little  band  of  New  Church  people  in  that  city.  Ob- 
stacles and  discouragements  were  many.  She  was  untiring  in  her  noble 
work,  and  my  father  upheld  her  faitli  and  courage  by  his  cheering  sym- 
pathy. Of  his  visits  to  Paris  and  the  work  done  there,  mention  will  be 
made  later. 

Of  the  letters,  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  Mme.  Humann  treasured 
them  for  many  years.  Indeed,  it  is  only  since  the  close  of  the  World 
War  that  they  came  into  my  possession.  They  were  delivered  to  me  by 
a  returning  soldier  (my  yoimgest  son),  to  whom  Mme.  Humann  in- 
trusted them. 

Letter  to  Miss  Holmes 

New  York,  January  22,  1877. 
We  have  this  encouragement  in  all  our  work  for  the  New  Church. 
We  know  that  it  is  the  church  of  the  future  and  that  it  must  succeed. 
We  know  also  that  there  are  many  forces  already  in  operation  and  con- 
stantly increasing,  in  the  spiritual  world,  in  which  the  first  and  prin- 
cipal work  to  be  done  is  to  prepare  the  ground  for  the  reception  of  the 
truth.  We  cannot  effect  much  in  advance  of  the  preparation,  though  we 
can  aid  in  it.  What  seem  to  us  to  be  insurmountable  difficulties  may 
melt  away  like  clouds  before  the  sun. 

New  York,  March  7,  1877. 
It  is  one  of  the  greatest  discouragements  in  our  work  for  the  Church 
that  those  who  profess  to  love  and  serve  it  seem  to  have  an  eye  to  them- 

-^  280  ^'- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

selves  as  well.  The  work  is  greatly  hindered  by  little  personal  rivalries 
and  jealousies  which  ought  to  be  kept  entirely  in  abeyance.  The  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  much  progress  do  seem  very  great  everywhere;  per- 
haps greater  in  your  country  than  in  ours. 

But  they  are  not  so  strong  as  they  have  been  and  the  forces  which 
are  operating  to  build  up  the  Lord's  kingdom  on  the  earth  are  con- 
stantly increasing.  I  have  found  that  the  only  way  I  could  work  with 
courage  and  hope  was  to  do  the  best  I  could  under  the  circumstances 
and  leave  the  results  with  the  Lord,  not  expecting  too  much.  I  say  to 
myself,  "  This  thing  I  can  do,  and  I  will  do  it  as  well  as  I  can.  That  is 
all  tlie  Lord  requires  of  me.  I  am  His  steward  and  I  will  be  faithful 
to  llie  trust.  That  He  asks.  But  He  does  not  require  that  I  should 
obtain  a  certain  success." 

I  do  not  know  enough  about  the  state  of  the  Church  in  France  and  the 
quality  of  the  French  mind  to  feel  competent  to  give  you  decided  ad- 
vice. But  I  should  tliink  it  important  to  keep  the  books  in  a  place  where 
they  would  be  as  easily  accessible  as  possible  and  that  such  informa- 
tion of  the  fact  should  be  given  to  the  public.  I  have  not  much  confi- 
dence in  the  use  of  self-appointed  ministers  or  teachers.  They  have 
never  accomplished  much  good.  I  saw  M.  Chevrier  when  I  was  in 
England  and  was  much  pleased  with  his  appearance,  and  though  I 
could  not  talk  with  him,  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  he  might  be 
a  good  man  to  succeed  M.  Harle. 

July,  1877. 
I  shall  not  forget  France  or  my  promises  to  you  about  her.  Dur- 
ing the  coming  year  I  hope  to  learn  so  much  about  her  needs  con- 
cerning the  New  Church  and  how  to  supply  them  that  I  can  work  under- 
stand ingly  and  do  her  a  real  service.  I  shall  depend  almost  wholly 
upon  you  for  this  knowledge. 

Mr.  Giles's  son-in-law,  Mr.  Carter  of  Boston,  made  some  alterations 
in  his  house  about  this  time.  As  his  wife  was  out  of  health,  Lucy  Giles 
went  in  October  to  assist  in  the  selection  of  furniture,  etc.  My  fatlier's 
whimsical  comments  on  household  decorations  are  anuising,  and  show 
also  a  primary  regard  for  their  psychological  effect  and  use. 

-*i  281  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  am  glad  to  learn  that  the  carpets  pleased  Carrie.  I  felt  confident 
tliey  would,  for  she  is  a  woman  of  good  taste.  I  am  glad  you  pronounce 
against  "  yaller."  It  may  be  the  color  of  the  sun  and  a  good  color  for 
some  things,  but  not  for  a  house.  You  want  a  color  which  harmonizes 
widi  the  sky  above  and  the  earth  below,  a  color  which  springs  out  of 
the  earth  and  melts  into  the  blue  above  and  which  is  distinct  from  either. 
It  must  not  stare  at  you  and  hurt  you  every  time  you  approach  it,  and 
repel  you,  as  though  you  had  no  business  in  the  house.  It  must  invite 
you,  give  you  a  hospitable  welcome;  I  would  say  a  warm  welcome  if 
I  did  not  fear  Mr.  M.  might  think  I  meant  red.  The  color  must  be  dis- 
tinct, so  that  you  can  find  your  house,  but  not  staring.  It  must  be  the 
connecting  link  between  blue  and  green.  I  can  see  how  it  should  look, 
but  I  am  not  sure  that  the  color  was  ever  named.  It  is  not  yellow  nor 
red  nor  brown  nor  white.  I  rather  like  the  idea  of  "  gray  with  a  bright 
tone,"  if  you  get  the  right  kind  of  tone.  As  nearly  as  I  can  exjDress  it, 
the  color  must  have  the  feeling  of  home  in  it.  There,  is  not  that  clear? 
It  must  say  welcome  to  those  who  approach  it  and  peace  to  those  who 
dwell  in  it.  If  Mr.  M.  will  find  such  a  color,  I  will  get  him  to  decide 
upon  the  color  of  my  house,  which  is  a  "  castle  in  Spain." 

I  am  not  acquainted  with  Eastlake,  but  I  presume  he  knows  how  to 
make  bedsteads  and  bureaus  as  well  as  Mr.  Dusseldorf  knows  how  to 
paint  pictures,  so  I  shall  not  find  any  fault  with  his  work  at  present. 
I  will  wait  imtil  I  see  it.  As  to  pots  and  kettles  I  am  not  a  judge, 
except  of  what  comes  out  of  them.  A  good  j)ot  ought  to  produce 
good  potatoes,  sweet,  mealy,  and  tender,  and  light  dumplings,  etc.,  etc. 
As  to  dishes,  I  agree  with  R.  I  like  china  better  than  this  brown  or  blue 
what-do-you-call  it.  I  can  drink  good  coffee  and  delicious  tea  out  of 
a  good  china  cup  if  it  has  a  small  figure  and  a  band  around  it.  You 
may  fill  tlie  band  with  any  color  which  harmonizes  with  tea.  I  don't 
like  brown  in  dishes.  It  reminds  me  of  earth.  Brown  is  the  color 
of  dirt.  I  don't  like  blue.  Blue  reminds  me  of  the  sky.  It  is  too 
ethereal  for  mutton  chops  and  roast  beef  to  rest  upon.  The  color  must 
be  inviting;  it  must  help  the  appetite;  it  must  suggest  aromas  and 
savors.    Please  to  select  your  dishes  of  that  color. 

Since  writing  the  above  philosophical  disquisition  on  ceramic  art, 

-•^  282  )ie..- 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

I  have  eaten  dinner.     You  will  think  I  must  have  been  sufficiently 

exhausted  with  the  effort  to  need  it. 

Sunday,  October  28,  1877. 
My  dear,  darling  busy  Daughter: 

I  am  afraid  you  have  an  elephant  on  your  hands  in  that  new 
shanty.  When  it  is  "  fixed  "  I  am  afraid  it  won't  stay  fixed.  What  can 
you  be  doing?  Toning  up  —  toning  down?  Fixing  '"  didos  "  —  or 
having  finished  your  work,  have  you  given  yourself  up  to  repose  in 
some  easy  chair?  Have  you  forgotten  that  there  is  such  a  village  as 
New  York,  and  that  there  is  one  family  at  least  of  poor  but  honest 
people  living  in  it  who  had  two  daughters,  one  of  whom  was  inxeigled 
away  by  a  young  chap  —  a  Carter  by  profession  — -  the  other  of  whom 
followed  after  her,  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  helping  to  get  a  roof 
over  her  head  and  a  comfortable  place  for  her  to  eat  and  sleep  in? 
Imagine  die  lonely  and  desolate  condition  of  that  family,  especially  of 
the  aged  parents  alone  with  only  two  boys,  a  grandson,  a  niece,  and 
their  friends  occasionally  dropping  in!  Think  of  the  venerable  mother 
compelled  to  give  dinner  parties  to  young  ladies  to  dispel  the  loneliness 
of  her  solitude.  Think  of  her  as  rushing  all  over  the  house  with  broom 
and  duster  and  scrubbing  brush  to  get  every  finger  mark  and  particle  of 
dust  removed  from  the  suspicion  of  existence.  Imagine  her  scouring 
the  markets  on  Third  and  Fourth  avenues,  and  even  extending  her  ex- 
plorations to  Washington  Market  for  dainties.  Think  of  her,  on  aged 
and  weary  limbs,  visiting  ten  stores  to  match  some  china.  Think  of  the 
directions,  injunctions,  the  reasons,  the  necessities  for  full  preparation. 
Then  imagine  the  aged  and  infirm  partner  of  all  these  sorrows  and  con- 
fusions driven  into  a  little  seven  by  nine  room  and  compelled  to  live 
on  bread  and  milk  and  some  accessories.  Think  of  the  parlor  turned 
upside  down  and  the  furniture  so  disarranged  that  the  ohlest  inhabitant 
coiilil  not  find  his  "sleepy  hollow."  Iliiiik  of  all  these  things  antl  as 
many  more  as  you  please.  Let  these  direful  visions  break  in  upon 
your  slumbers  and  haunt  you  in  your  dreams.  Think  of  the  eight  ac- 
com])lished  and  brilliant  young  ladies  i)eing  invited  to  see  these  im- 
provements, the  result  of  all  this  lavish  expenditure  of  time,  money, 
strength,  and  temper,  and  to  partake  of  these  luxuries  gathered  from 

-4  283  )S^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

many  places,  and  then  behold  the  supreme  result  —  one,  yes  one,  came 
—  one-eighth.  Twelve  and  one  half  per  cent.  came.  Ask  your  brother- 
in-law  if  he  thinks  (I  believe  he  is  quick  at  figures  and  is  a  good  shot 
whenever  he  hits  the  mark)  — ask  him  to  bring  all  his  financial  ability 
and  experience  to  the  consideration  of  the  question  —  ask  him  with 
due  solemnity  and  emphasis  if  he  thinks  that  was  a  paying  business. 
It  is  time  this  veteran  in  social  strategy  was  not  caught  napping.  She 
"hedged"  skillfully  and  broiled  only  two  "  Philadelphias,"  did  not 
prepare  the  whole  bushel  of  cranberries,  and  the  family  has  profited 
by  the  reserve.  But  think  of  it  and  see  what  calamities  have  befallen 
us  on  account  of  your  absence. 

In  the  autumn  of  1877  Mr.  Giles  became  seriously  ill.  The  illness 
was  the  result  of  a  long  period  of  overwork.  For  years  he  had  been 
doing  double  duty,  acting  as  pastor  of  tlie  New  York  Society  and  as 
editor  of  the  Messenger.  In  addition,  there  were  the  many  demands 
upon  him  to  lecture  in  many  places,  not  only  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  but  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Then,  too,  his  position  as 
President  of  die  General  Convention  involved  much  correspondence 
and  an  active  interest  and  participation  in  matters  relative  to  tlie  Church 
at  large.  There  is  a  physical  limit  beyond  which  even  the  most  zealous 
cannot  go,  and  my  father  had  reached  that  limit. 

Soon  after  his  recovery  came  the  call  from  the  Philadelphia  Society. 
This  opened  the  way  for  comparative  rest  with  a  prospect  of  continued 
usefulness.  Should  he  accept?  The  pros  and  cons  were  thoroughly 
considered  and  a  decision  reached.  Some  of  the  steps  which  led  to 
the  final  result  are  here  given,  in  fragments  of  correspondence: 

I  am  going  to  Philadelphia  to  preach  next  Sunday,  and  Oliver  Dyer 
will  preach  here  for  me.  I  expect  my  going  will  bring  matters  to  a 
crisis  either  one  way  or  another.  I  am  perfectly  content  to  abide  by 
the  leadings  of  the  Divine  Providence.  Of  one  thing  I  am  sure  —  I 
cannot  much  longer  do  the  amount  of  work  I  have  done  for  some  years 
past.  I  regard  my  sickness  this  fall  as  a  warning  to  hold  up  a  little. 
I  should  be  very  sorry  to  leave  New  York,  but  unless  the  society  awakes 
to  the  situation  and  takes  hold  of  the  work  of  sustaining  the  church 
more  vigorously,  I  shall  be  compelled  to;  not  immediately,  but  in  the 
near  future.    But  there  is  no  use  in  talking  about  the  matter  now. 

-4  284  ^'- 


NEW  YORK  PASTORATE,   1875-1877 

November  6,  1877. 
The  formal  "  call "  came  from  Philadelphia  this  afternoon.  It  is 
unanimous  and  is  put  in  as  pleasant  a  shape  as  I  could  wish.  The 
invitation  closes  with  these  words:  "  Our  society  with  one  accord  unites 
in  calling  you  and  believes  that  you  will  be  the  Providential  means  of 
building  it  up  as  no  other  man  can  now  do. 

Mr.  T.  S.  Arthur  puts  the  case  and  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Society  very  clearly  in  the  following: 

Piiii.ADKLPniA,  December  10,  1877. 

Let  me  present  to  you  some  considerations  that  have  forced  them- 
selves strongly  on  my  mind  as  reasons  for  your  coming  to  Philadelphia. 
You  must,  of  course,  weigh  them  for  yourself.  I  need  not  tell  you  how 
greatly  our  society  has  been  tried  and  tempted,  disorganized,  crippled, 
and  disheartened  for  these  many  years. 

Your  presence  here  would  check  the  drift  in  the  current  which  seems 
bearing  the  church  in  Philadelphia  helplessly  away.  Not  that  we  want 
you  to  fight  any  battles  for  us;  what  we  want  is  conservation  and  the 
strength  that  comes  from  clear  seeing  of  those  truths  which  work  them- 
selves into  good  lives,  the  only  true  strength  of  the  church.  Our  case  is 
exceptional.  Not  from  one  or  from  ten,  or  twenty  even,  is  the  cry 
sent  over  to  you  for  help  in  this  our  great  time  of  need,  but  from  a 
hundred  and  more.  It  would  touch  you,  could  you  see  and  hear  the 
expectant  eagerness  with  which  one  and  another  asks,  "Will  Mr.  Giles 
come?  "  —  and  their  looks  of  disappointment  when  the  doubtful  answer 
is  given. 

So  much  for  our  need  of  you.  Another  consideration  which  may 
have  weight  with  you  is  this:  All  the  leading  and  most  influential  men 
in  the  church  here  are  deeply  interested  in  the  work  of  disseminating 
the  doctrines  by  means  of  the  press.  I  need  not  refer  to  what  we  have 
done  and  are  doing.  As  I  understand!  it,  you  have  in  view  literary  work 
for  the  (liun  li.  In  this  work  our  "  Tract  and  Publication  Society  "could 
and  would  aid  you  very  materially.  It  would  be  wholly  in  sympathy 
with  you  in  tlie  work  and  could  do  nmch  to  promote  tlic  circulation  of 
anything  you  might  put  to  press.     I  do  not  offer  this  view  of  tlie  case  as 

-^  28.S  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

an  appeal  to  you  on  the  ground  of  personal  success,  but  only  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  larger  use  that  would  come  dirough  the  greater  facilities 
for  putting  New  Church  books  into  circulation  which,  under  Provi- 
dence, exist  in  our  city. 

As  to  your  coming  here.  As  you  perhaps  know,  I  was  one  of  the 
last  to  move  in  tbis  matter,  because  I  could  not  tolerate  the  idea  of  your 
leaving  your  home  and  a  certainty,  to  move  to  this  place.  There  are 
many  things  about  Philadelphia  distasteful  to  a  New  Yorker.  I  had  too 
much  affection  for  you  to  be  willing  that  you  should  incur  any  risk, 
and  for  a  long  time  I  turned  a  deaf  ear,  to  tlie  great  astonishment  of 
many  of  my  friends.  My  duties  as  chairman  of  the  committee  have 
brought  me  in  contact  with  nearly  every  one,  and  all,  while  ardently  de- 
siring that  you  may  come,  stop  to  ask  whether  you  will  be  likely  to  be 
happy  here;  in  short,  show  deep,  warm,  personal  interest  in  your  wel- 
fare. You  were  the  only  person  all  our  people  here  could  unite  upon. 
Strangely  enough,  they  did  unite  and  taxed  themselves  for  your  sup- 
port. Your  sickness  came,  which  was  a  strong  warning  that  you  must 
cease  some  of  your  work.  I  could  see  that  your  path  in  New  York 
would  not  be  all  strewn  with  roses,  and  dien,  last  and  most,  there 
seemed  to  be  real  need  for  you  here  —  a  real  and  important  use  to  be 
performed,  which  no  one  else  could  render;  so,  all  other  doors  closing, 
I  felt  strong  and  full  of  faith  to  enter  the  only  open  way  and  send  the 
call,  trusting  that  the  Lord  would  guide  us  aright  and  send  His  blessing 
on  our  efforts. 

After  careful  consideration  Mr.  Giles's  final  decision  was  given  to 
the  New  York  Society  and  a  letter  of  acceptance  sent  in  response  to 
the  call  from  Philadelphia. 

With  the  closing  of  his  pastorate  in  New  York  ended  also  his  work  as 
editor  of  the  Messenger.  In  response  to  his  resignation,  Mr.  Giles 
received  a  very  pleasant  letter,  commendatory  of  his  work  as  editor, 
from  Mr.  D.  L.  Webster,  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Publication. 

Mr.  Giles  writes : 

Niiw  York,  December  21,  1877. 
I  have  just  come  from  the  Book  Room  and  have  ended  my  labors  as 
editor.    I  have  been  more  or  less  engaged  on  the  Messenger  for  twelve 

-^  286  ^~ 


NEW   YORK   PASTORATE,    1875-1877 

years,  during  six  of  which  I  have  had  the  whole  control  of  it  and  have 
done  the  most  of  the  work  in  editing  it.  I  have  written  from  one  fourth 
to  one  sixth  of  it  nearly  every  week  for  the  last  six  years.  It  is  ended 
now  and  I  am  glad  of  it,  and  many  others  will  be  also.  I  don't  know 
how  I  shall  conduct  myself  when  I  fully  realize  that  I  have  no  "  copy  " 
to  prepare. 

My  relations  with  the  society  in  New  York  are  also  officially  ended. 
My  resignation  has  been  accepted  and  the  members  of  the  society  have 
voted  that  they  ought  to  pay  me  five  hundred  and  seventy  dollars  in- 
terest for  carrying  their  debt  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  five  years 
for  them,  and  they  have  voted  to  pay  me  as  soon  as  possible  —  at  far- 
thest, within  two  years.  Some  resolutions  were  passed  Wednesday  even- 
ing which  I  understood  were  quite  complimentary  to  me,  but  I  have  not 
read  them.  I  shall  preach  two  Sundays  more;  then  my  work  will  be  done 
and  I  shall  enter  upon  my  new  field  of  labor  in  the  city  of  brotherly  love. 

Mow  I  dread  the  next  few  weeks!  I  do  not  want  to  leave  New  York. 
I  told  them  in  Philadelphia  that  I  should  much  prefer  to  remain  here, 
and  if  I  consulted  my  personal  feelings  and  wishes  I  should  do  so.  But 
when  the  change  is  once  made  I  think  we  may  be  as  happy  in  Phila- 
delphia as  here.  I  try  to  keep  all  selfish  and  merely  personal  feelings 
from  my  mind  and  to  look  only  to  those  considerations  which  ought 
to  govern  in  such  a  case,  and  I  hope  and  believe  that  I  shall  be  guided 
aright. 

To  Carrie  from  her  Mother 

New  York,  December  20,  1877. 

This  has  been  your  dear  father's  last  Sunday  in  Thirty-fifth  Street. 
It  has  rained  all  day  but  there  was  a  good  audience.  It  has  been  nearly 
fourteen  years  since  we  came  to  this  city  and  we  leave  it  with  deep 
regret.  We  shall  leave  many  dear  friends  and  the  breaking  up  of  the 
family  will  be  very  painful.  But  your  dear  father's  severe  sickness 
this  fall  settled  many  doubtful  questions  once  and  for  all. 

From  Philadelphia  Mr.  McGeorge  writes: 

I  am  heartily  glad  and  proud,  if  the  feeling  is  proper,  that  you  come 
to  us  followed  by  the  regrets  of  all  voiir  parishioners,  that  you  come 

-Cr{  287  }§.- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

to  us  wafted  on  and  sustained  by  heartfelt  prayers  for  your  future  hap- 
piness and  prosperity.  I  am  glad  for  the  sake  of  Church  that  your 
influence  is  so  wide  and  deep  and  large,  and  I  fervently  pray  that  as 
the  years  roll  on  your  influence  for  good  will  increase  and  be  more 
sensibly  felt. 


-^  288  ^- 


w. 


CHAPTER   XIII 
Philadelphia:  an  Introductory  Chapter 


E  are  all  familiar  with  the  early  beginnings  of  the  New  Church  in 
Philadelphia,  —  beginnings  which  mean  also  its  birth  on  this  continent. 
From  a  lecture  given  by  James  Glenn  during  a  brief  visit  to  that  city  in 
1784;  from  the  box  of  books  for  him  which  arrived  after  he  had  left; 
from  the  readers  of  those  books  (works  of  Swedenborg)  which  were 
bought  at  auction,  —  we  have  at  first  a  little  group  of  readers,  two  or 
three  gathered  together  in  His  Name,  who  met  in  an  informal  way 
and  read  and  discussed  with  delight  their  new-found  treasures  of  spir- 
itual trutli.  As  these  new  views  spread  (they  took  good  care  to  com- 
municate them ) ,  they  received  word  from  others  in  the  country  of  like 
mind,  and  these  letters  were  read  with  pleasure  when  they  met  together. 
It  was  the  childhood  period  of  the  Church,  with  a  simple  delight  in  its 
life-giving  precepts  and  also  a  child's  delight  in  growing.  As  this  de- 
velopment proceeded  and  the  period  of  youth  approached  (still  look- 
ing towards  maturity),  the  first  General  Convention  was  formed.  It 
met  May  15th,  1817.  It  was  a  happy  and  harmonious  gathering. 
Many  letters  were  read  from  those  unable  to  be  present  and  a  com- 
mittee was  formed  to  regulate  the  ordination  of  ministers.  Other  sub- 
jects submitted  for  adjustment  have  already  been  mentioned  in  the 
chapter  on  the  Middle  West. 

With  the  necessity  for  definite  external  form  inevitably  came  much 
disagreement  as  to  its  manifestation.  Remember,  this  was  the  period 
of  youth.  And  as  youth  at  a  certain  stage  is  argumentative,  so  was 
the  collective  childhood  of  tlie  Church. 

Measures  which  the  Convention  recommended  for  Church  polity  were 
as  strongly  disapproved  in  Philadelphia  as  they  had  been  in  New  York 
and  Ohio,  so  that  it,  like  the  others,  withdrew  from  the  general  body. 

Objections  to  Convention  and  its  measures  continued  on  the  part  of 
individuals,  and  unhappily  for  harmony  in  Philadelphia,  among  its 
various  leaders  were  exponents  of  widely  dilTeriiig  church  polities. 
Each  man  upheld  his  opinion  with  the  tenacity  which  belongs  to  strong 

-^289)3.- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

characters,    and    many    maintained    their    opinions    to    be    necessary 
principles. 

Those  who  opposed  Convention  diflfered  among  themselves  with  re- 
gard to  rituals  and  church  government.  Some  adhered  to  distinctions 
of  rank  amongst  the  clergy,  others  advocated  little  or  no  form;  the  ex- 
tremists thinking  it  unnecessary  to  have  a  separate  church  organization. 
There  was  still  another  party,  which  while  working  with  Convention 
advocated  an  elaborate  system  of  ecclesiasticism.  Besides  the  radicals 
of  these  conflicting  views  there  were  the  more  moderate  and  conserva- 
tive who  wished  enough  form  for  orderly  worship,  but  laid  more  stress 
on  the  spiritual  development  of  the  church. 

Historical  details  of  the  Philadelphia  society  have  been  omitted, 
simply  because  the  purpose  has  been  to  outline  the  differing  elements 
which  were  by  degrees  focussed  in  that  one  society,  with  the  unhappy 
result  that  the  individuals  which  composed  it  were  of  such  strongly 
divergent  opinions  that  united  action  was  rendered  very  difficult.  It 
was  an  unhappy  state,  and  none  deplored  it  more  than  the  society's  own 
members. 

To  Mr.  Giles  they  turned  with  a  unanimous  call,  really  an  appeal, 
tliat  he  would  come  to  their  rescue. 

How  did  Mr.  Giles  meet  these  conditions? 

He  has  told  so  clearly  what  he  thinks  necessary  to  spiritual  union, 
and  he  had  so  constantly  in  mind  the  upbuilding  of  a  strong  society 
which  should  embody  diese  principles,  that  I  cannot  answer  better  than 
to  state  them  as  tliey  are  set  forth  in  extracts  from  an  address  given  on 
that  subject  to  the  General  Convention. 

Every  man,  woman,  and  child  is  a  living  link  in  the  chain  of 
causes  and  effects  by  which  the  Lord  creates  and  blesses  man.  The 
penalty  for  breaking  away  from  this  connection  is  death.  "What  is 
unconnected  does  not  exist."    Such  is  the  general  law. 

The  unity  in  which  we  dwell  together  with  others  and  with  the  Lord 
is  always  the  measure  of  our  happiness. 

In  society  we  proceed  from  bare  recognition  to  intimate  acquaint- 
ance; in  domestic  life  to  the  mutual  interchange  of  our  most  secret 
thoughts  and  affections;  in  the  Church  we  approach  one  another  as 
spiritual  beings,  as  children  of  the  same  loving  Father;  as  sinners 
against  the  same  Divine  law,  as  having  the  same  hopes  and  fears,  and 

-4  290  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA:    AN   INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTER 

looking  forward  to  the  same  eternal  home.  Between  homogeneous 
natures  this  reciprocal  union  will  grow  more  intimate  and  delightful 
to  eternity. 

Is  such  a  union  and  such  a  blessedness  possible  to  us?  It  must  be, 
because  the  Lord  made  us  for  it.  No  mechanic  ever  constructed  two 
things  to  fit  togetlier  so  accurately  as  man  was  designed  to  fit  man. 

Obstacles  to  this  Union  are  now  Considered 

Self-love  does  not  incline  us  to  dwell  together  in  unity  as  brethren. 
Self-love  is  the  centrifugal  force  in  human  society,  and  when  it  is  the 
supreme  love  it  drives  the  soul  from  its  orbit  of  duty  and  arrays  it 
against  others.  What  self-love  cannot  compel  into  its  service  it  seeks 
to  destroy.    Rule  or  ruin  is  the  law  of  its  action. 

Other  formidable  obstacles  are  differences  of  opinion  caused  by 
diversity  of  knowledge  and  habit,  which  lead  us  to  magnify  things  of 
little  value  above  those  which  are  essential. 

One  form  and  one  method  may  be  abstractedly  better  than  anotlier, 
but  none  of  them  are  of  sufficient  importance  to  alienate  the  hearts 
of  bretliren  and  cause  division  in  the  church.  That  is  the  best  method 
by  which  we  all  can  work  together  for  a  common  end. 

Hoiv  Spiritual  Union  can  be  Promoted 

W\\ei\  two  bodies  are  drawn  by  attraction  they  both  must  move.  So  it 
must  be  in  spiritual  attraction.  Both  must  move,  and  each  one  ought 
to  advance  with  a  willingness  to  take  the  first  step,  and  go  tlic  whole 
distance,  and  do  tlie  whole  work.  Confidence  begets  confidence,  and 
love  awakens  love.  Only  let  our  ends  be  good  and  we  may  wear  our 
hearts  as  open  as  the  day.  Wliat  miracles  a  plain,  frank,  sinctne,  and 
tender  word  will  work  in  us!  We  thought  we  were  walking  alone,  per- 
haps forsaken  by  man  and  even  by  the  Lord,  when  the  magic  of  a  word 
dispels  the  illusion,  and  we  find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  friends,  with 
warm  hearts  to  comfort,  and  strong  iiands  to  hel|i  us. 

In  our  efforts  to  approach  each  other,  we  must  ne\er  forget  that 
unity   is  not  sameness.     Like  the  disciples,  we  are  sometimes  more 

'■*i  291  }■>- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

inclined  to  complain  of  others  because  they  do  not  follow  us  than  be- 
cause they  do  not  follow  the  Lord. 

The  perfection  of  every  society  depends  upon  the  harmonious  vari- 
eties that  compose  it.  A  human  body  all  bone  is  a  skeleton;  without 
bones,  a  mass  of  flesh.  There  are  no  superfluous  organs  in  man.  So 
in  societies  and  organizations,  the  greater  the  variety  and  the  larger  the 
number  the  better,  if  each  would  do  his  own  work. 

In  the  construction  of  the  first  temple  at  Jerusalem  it  is  said,  "  And 
the  house,  when  it  was  in  building,  was  built  of  stone  made  ready  before 
it  was  brought  thither."  So  it  should  be  with  us.  We  ought  to  do  our 
hewing  and  shaping  before  we  come  together.  We  ought  to  put  away 
the  personal  peculiarities  that  hinder  our  approach  to  others  and  our 
union  with  tliem. 

Such  were  the  principles  brought  into  the  life  of  the  society,  with 
the  well-known  successful  results:  a  stormy  youth  grown  to  a  well- 
developed  manliood. 


-4  292  ]^- 


CHAPTER   XIV 
Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1878-August,  1879 

X  HE  change  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  not  only  marked  a  new 
field  of  labor  in  the  ministry,  but  altered  the  home  life  very  much. 
Lucy,  the  eldest  daughter,  and  William,  the  youngest  son,  were  the 
only  ones  to  leave  New  York.  Two  of  the  family  were  married.  War- 
ren lived  in  Brooklyn.  Carrie,  the  youngest  daughter,  had  mar- 
ried and  moved  to  Boston  five  years  before.  Chauncey  and  Charles, 
who  were  in  business  in  New  York,  remained  there.  The  parents'  home 
was  no  longer  the  centre  of  the  family  life.  My  father  and  mother  felt 
this  disintegration  very  keenly,  but  accepted  it  as  a  necessary  factor  of 
their  changed  conditions.    Of  his  home  in  Philadelphia  Father  writes: 

We  are  delightfully  situated  here.  West  Philadelphia  is  a  city  in 
the  country.  The  streets  are  like  green  lanes.  Many  of  the  houses 
have  beautiful  gardens  filled  with  shrubbery  and  flowers.  We  have 
some  city  sounds,  but  they  are  not  numerous  and  loud  enough  to  drown 
the  songs  of  birds  and  other  country  notes.  We  have  enjoyed  the  quiet 
and  beauty  of  our  new  home  very  much.  But  it  is  to  be  deprived  of  one 
of  its  chief  charms.  Lucy  expects  to  leave  us  in  the  autumn  and  begin 
life  for  herself.  She  is  engaged  to  be  married  to  a  son  of  Doctor  H.  N. 
Guernsey  of  this  place,  and  if  nothing  prevents  she  will  be  married  in 
the  autumn  or  early  winter  and  move  to  New  York  where  Mr.  William 
Guernsey  is.  It  will  leave  only  Willie  with  us.  It  seems  like  going 
back  to  the  time  when  Mrs.  Giles  and  I  set  out  alone.  But  such  things 
must  be. 

Some  of  his  early  impressions  of  Philadelphia  follow: 

Philadelphia,  March  2,  1878. 

I  am  often  asked  if  I  feel  at  home,  and  I  am  compelled  to  answer, 

"No."    I  know  I  am  at  home  and  I  am  satisfied,  but  there  is  so  great 

a  difference  between  Philadelphia  and  New  York  that  it  will  take  time 

to  accommodate  myself  to  all  the  new  ways  and  feel  contented.    The 

-*■(  293  l9»- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

people  are  very  kind  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  make  me  feel  at  home. 
There  are  many  people  of  culture  here,  and  I  think  they  are  more  so- 
ciable than  they  were  in  New  York.  I  really  think  we  have  received 
more  invitations  to  dine  and  take  tea  since  we  came  here  than  we  did 
in  the  fourteen  years  we  were  in  New  York.  I  do  not  see  why  we  may 
not  feel  at  home  in  due  time.    At  present  it  seems  more  like  visiting. 

The  attendance  at  church  has  greatly  increased  since  I  came.  The 
house  has  been  well  filled  every  Sabbath,  and  the  prospects  appear  to 
be  favorable  for  a  strong  society  of  the  church.  If  I  can  really  get 
the  New  Churchmen  in  this  city  into  good  working  order  I  feel  as 
though  it  would  be  a  good  ending  to  my  life's  work. 

Soon  after  they  went  to  Philadelphia  Mr.  Giles  received  a  letter  from 
Miss  Holmes  in  which  she  asked  his  good  offices  for  the  little  struggling 
society  of  Paris. 

Through  Mr.  Giles's  efforts  with  our  government  at  Washington,  rep- 
resentations were  made  to  the  French  Government  which  induced  it  to 
grant  permission  to  the  New  Church  people  to  hold  public  meetings. 
Some  of  the  correspondence  on  the  subject  is  given  herewith: 

To  Miss  Holmes 

Philadelphia,  March  28,  1878. 

I  find  that  our  people  here  are  quite  willing  to  have  me  go  abroad 
for  several  months.  My  principal  hesitation  now  about  going  is  that 
I  might  not  be  able  to  do  you  any  good  that  would  be  worth  the  trouble 
and  expense. 

It  is  necessary  that  you  write  me  in  perfect  freedom  and  frankness 
about  your  wishes  in  the  matter  so  that  there  may  be  no  misunderstand- 
ing about  it,  and  I  hope  you  will  do  it.  I  have  only  one  desire,  and 
that  is  to  do  the  best  I  can  for  tlie  church. 

The  following  application  for  permission  to  hold  public  meetings 
was  forwarded  through  the  proper  officials: 

To  His  Excellency,  M.  Mercere,  Minister  of  Public  Worship 

and  Instruction 

We  learn  with  great  pleasure  by  a  communication  which  we  have 
received  from  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States  of  America 

-=^  294  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,   1878-AUGUST,   1879 

that  the  French  Government  has  been  pleased  to  grant  the  request  of  the 
members  of  the  New  Church  to  hold  public  meetings  for  the  worship 
of  the  Lord,  and  for  instruction  in  the  doctrines  of  our  church  in  the 
city  of  Paris. 

We  hereby  make  application  to  have  the  instruction  necessary  to 
carry  this  permission  into  effect  issued  to  M.  the  Prefect  of  Police. 

In  doing  so,  and  with  profound  gratitude  for  the  liberty  granted  us, 
we  think  it  due  to  ourselves  and  to  the  government  from  which  we 
have  obtained  this  favor,  to  make  a  concise  but  explicit  declaration 
of  what  our  purposes  are  not,  and  of  what  they  are,  that  there  may  be 
no  ground  for  any  misunderstanding  in  the  matter. 

1.  Our  organization  has  no  political  ends  of  any  kind,  and  our  meet- 
ings will  have  no  relation  to  civil  affairs.  We  are  not  socialists  or 
spiritualists,  and  we  have  no  connection  or  sympathy  with  secret  soci- 
eties of  any  kind  or  name.  The  members  of  the  New  Church  in  Amer- 
ica and  England,  where  their  numbers  are  the  most  numerous,  are 
known  as  intelligent,  orderly,  and  useful  members  of  society. 

2.  There  is  nothing  in  our  doctrines  which  has  any  tendency  to 
demoralize  and  corrupt  society.  On  the  contrary,  all  their  principles 
inculcate  personal  purity  of  life  and  devotion  to  some  useful  employ- 
ment. Their  influence  will  tend  to  secure  obedience  to  law,  social 
order,  and  public  tranquillity.  It  is  a  maxim  with  us  that "'  All  religion 
has  relation  to  life  and  the  life  of  religion  is  to  do  good." 

3.  While  we  have  distinct  religious  doctrines  which  we  hold  with 
intelligence  and  firmness,  we  have  no  desire  to  be  offensive  in  tlieir 
propagation,  or  in  any  way  to  awaken  religious  animosities,  or  inter- 
fere with  the  religious  freedom  of  others.  Indeed,  we  believe  we  have 
no  purpose  which  would  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  every  intelli- 
gent and  true  lover  of  his  country,  and  we  shall  use  no  means  which 
will  be  hurtful  to  civil  order  and  social  peace  to  carry  our  purposes 
into  effect. 

But  our  position  is  by  no  means  a  negative  one.  We  believe  we  have 
come  into  the  knowledge  of  truths  relating  to  man's  spiritual  nature 
and  destiny  which  meet  the  religious  wants  of  intelligent  and  good 
men  in  all  enlightened  countries  and  which  throw  a  flood  of  light  upon 

-4  295  js-- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

those  profound  questions  of  man's  origin,  nature,  and  destiny  which 
have  heretofore  baffled  the  power  of  the  most  acute  minds  and  the 
most  honest  lovers  of  truth.  We  believe  that  these  truths  will  help  men 
to  take  a  new  step  in  human  progress  as  great  in  spiritual  life  as  a  true 
knowledge  of  nature  has  enabled  them  to  take  in  industrial  and  social 
affairs. 

We  desire  to  meet  for  the  worship  of  the  Lord,  for  instruction  in 
these  principles,  and  for  mutual  encouragement  and  help  in  the  prac- 
tice of  those  truths  which  will  better  assist  us  in  the  development  of  the 
highest  faculties  of  our  nature  and  in  all  our  social,  civil,  and  religious 
relations  to  perform  our  duties  in  the  most  efficient  and  helpful  manner. 

On  June  13th,  1878,  Mr.  Giles  with  Mrs.  Giles  and  his  son  William 
sailed  for  Europe.  Miss  Holmes,  who  was  in  the  United  States  at  the 
time,  accompanied  them.  Their  voyage  was  uneventful  and  comfort- 
able, as  far  as  life  at  sea  is  consistent  with  comfort.  They  landed  in 
Liverpool,  and  after  a  short  stay  in  London  went  to  Paris.  Mr.  Giles 
thus  describes  their  surroundings: 

We  try  to  do  a  little  something  at  sight-seeing  every  day,  but  we 
are  not  driving  the  business  very  hard.  I  cannot  walk  very  long  at 
a  time,  so  we  do  what  we  can.  We  are  really  leading  quite  an  idle  life, 
which  suits  me  better  than  any  other.  Our  house  is  as  quiet  as  it  is 
at  Philadelphia,  —  perhaps  it  is  even  more  secluded.  Our  room  looks 
out  upon  a  garden  full  of  shrubbery  and  there  are  many  open  lots 
around,  with  the  thousands  of  acres  of  woods  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne 
only  a  short  distance,  not  more  than  a  Philadelphia  block,  beyond  us. 
So  we  have  fresh  air,  quiet  to  which  we  can  retreat,  and  easy  access  to 
any  amount  of  crowds  and  excitement  we  may  desire. 

I  do  not  know  that  we  are  spending  the  time  very  wisely,  but  I  am 
too  old  to  profit  much  by  my  advantages.  This  is  the  history  of  the 
world.  Experience  is  like  the  stem  light  of  a  ship;  it  only  sheds  its 
beams  on  the  track  over  which  we  have  passed. 

The  small  beginning  of  the  Paris  Society  is  thus  described: 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  hear  Dr.  Poirson  at  his  house.  The 
service  is  held  in  the  fourth  story  in  a  little  room  which  twenty  people 

-•^  296  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

will  crowd.  The  floor  is  of  brick  with  a  rug  which  covers  the  centre. 
On  one  side  are  bookcases  filled  with  books  and  other  literary  matters. 
On  the  other  side  is  a  painting  of  the  nude  figure  of  a  girl. 

The  service  seemed  very  long  and  tedious. 

Mrs.  H was  baptized  by  Mr.  Benade,  who  read  the  service  in 

French.  Then  Dr.  Poirson  read  a  chapter  in  Isaiah  and  gave  the  spir- 
itual meaning.  Then  he  read  from  some  work  on  the  "  Symbolism  of 
the  Eastern  Mythology."  Mr.  Benade  followed  with  a  prayer  which 
ended  the  service. 

The  pros[)ects  of  the  New  Church  certainly  do  not  look  very  bright; 
but  the  Lord  has  the  care  of  His  church  and  He  will  raise  up  men  to  do 
the  necessary  work. 

Of  the  various  objects  of  interest  in  Paris  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

There  are  so  many  new  and  beautiful,  and  old,  ugly  things  to  see 
that  it  seems  useless  to  try  to  describe  them  and  as  impossible  as  use- 
less. The  professional  writers  do  it  much  better  than  I  can,  and  I  sup- 
pose the  American  papers  are  full  of  such  accounts. 

Some  descriptions,  however,  were  not  left  to  "  professional  writers." 
The  travelers  saw  that  rare  event,  the  playing  of  the  fountains  at  Ver- 
sailles, and  the  following  letter  gives  their  experiences: 

After  many  inquiries  and  some  guessing  we  really  found  "  Les 
Grands  des  Eaux."  It  is  the  grandest  thing  of  the  kind  in  tlie  world. 
There  is  an  immense  basin  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle.  The  fomitains 
are  on  the  side  of  the  diameter,  and  the  ground  rises  gradually  on 
the  other  side.  It  thus  gives  a  fine  opportunity  to  see  tlie  water  when 
the  fountains  arc  |ilaying.  This  upward  slop(>  covered  with  grass  was 
filled  with  people  waiting  fur  the  waters  to  break  lorlli.  It  was  not  yet 
eight,  and  the  performance  was  not  to  come  oil  uiilil  nine  o'clock.  We 
thought  we  sliouid  be  in  aiii|tlc  liiiir  lo  get  good  positions.  Wliat  was 
our  surprise  to  find  tliis  whole  aiiiphithcatre  packed  with  peojile.  We 
tried  to  work  our  way  through  the  crowd,  but  soon  gave  it  up.  A  plat- 
form had  been  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  circle.  Upon  it  tliere  were 
chairs,  from  which  a  good  view  could  be  obtained.    Seated  here,  we  had 

-'■4  297  )<♦•- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

to  wait  nearly  an  hour.  But  there  was  a  fine  hand  near  us  which  helped 
to  pass  the  time  pleasantly.  Finally  a  gun  was  fired,  and  we  soon  saw 
the  water  begin  to  rise  at  one  end  of  the  arc.  Soon  streams  began  to 
shoot  up  from  the  middle  of  the  lake,  and  all  along  the  line  of  the  diam- 
eter of  the  circle  I  counted  seventy-five  jets,  some  of  them  rising  as  high 
as  eighty  feet.  There  were  three  fountains  formed  of  bronze  mytho- 
logical figures:  one  in  the  centre,  and  one  on  each  side  at  equal  dis- 
tances from  it.  At  every  few  rods  between  them  there  was  a  line  of  jets 
of  different  heights,  the  water  rising  and  falling  and  waving  in  the  wind. 

To  heighten  the  beauty  of  the  scene  and  to  enable  the  people  to  see 
it  more  clearly,  electric  lights  had  been  placed  at  different  positions 
in  the  circimiference.  These  could  be  turned  on  and  off  and  changed 
in  direction,  increased  or  diminished  in  intensity,  at  will.  This  gave 
life  and  animation  to  it  and  threw  a  charm  over  it  which  made  it  a 
perfect  fairy  scene. 

After  a  time,  rose-colored  Bengal  lights  were  kindled  all  along  be- 
tween the  jets  of  water.  The  tinted  smoke  rose  and  mingled  with  the 
moving  columns  of  water,  and  the  electric  lights  were  poured  upon  them 
with  greater  intensity.  A  cry  of  admiration  arose  from  tlie  vast  multi- 
tude. Then  the  rose  lights  soon  died  away,  tlie  smoke  arose,  and  left 
the  pure  water  playing  upwards  in  clear  white  light.  I  should  have 
said  that  this  fountain  is  surrounded  with  tall,  dense  trees.  Between 
the  trees  and  the  lake,  with  the  dark  foliage  for  a  background,  there 
had  been  erected  a  long  line  of  arches. 

These  must  have  been  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  high.  The  faces  of 
them  were  covered  with  little  glass  tumblers  of  different  colors  partly 
filled  with  oil  in  which  was  a  wick  or  cork.  They  were  connected  with 
festoons  of  lights,  and  on  the  top  were  blazing  figures  of  haqjs  and  urns, 
etc.  They  extended  for  a  long  distance,  and  presented  a  chain  of  light 
before  which  there  rose  seventy-five  jets  of  water,  whose  sprays  fell  in 
soft  and  beautiful  showers  reflecting  the  various  lights,  half  concealing 
and  tlien  revealing  them.  You  must  imagine  this  steady  light  as  a  back- 
ground to  the  fountains. 

Wlien  the  rose  lights  had  died  away  they  were  replaced  by  green 
ones,  and  these  by  red,  which  gave  a  weird  and  unearthly  appearance 

-4  298  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,   187&-AUGUST,   1879 

to  the  scene.  The  people  themselves  became  partly  enveloped  in  the 
red  smoke,  which  transformed  them  into  different  beings.  Then  the 
smoke  died  away  and  the  atmosphere  became  pure.  The  electric  lights 
were  also  shut  off  and  the  scene  was  dim  and  sombre.  Suddenly  we 
heard  a  loud  report,  and  from  twenty  places  along  the  line  there  was 
a  discharge  of  immense  balls  of  fire  which  rose  high  in  the  air  and  ex- 
ploded, sending  out  a  great  number  of  smaller  balls  which  in  their 
turn  exploded  and  filled  the  whole  air  with  a  rain  of  fire.  This  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  until  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  shore  were  belch- 
ing fortli  balls  of  fire. 

This  was  succeeded  by  streams  of  fiery  particles,  which  rose  nearly 
as  high  as  the  jets  of  water  and  appeared  like  fountains  of  fire,  min- 
gling with  the  columns  of  water  and  vying  with  them  in  height  and 
volume.  Tlie  combined  effect  was  wonderful.  You  could  see  the  water 
and  tlie  fire  rising,  falling,  blending  their  streams,  drops  of  fire,  sparks 
of  water,  so  mingled  you  could  hardly  discriminate.  But  no  descrip- 
tion can  give  any  adequate  idea  of  it. 

This  quiet  and  enchanting  scene  was  followed  by  rockets  and  other 
pieces  which  burst  with  a  tremendous  noise,  and  it  required  no 
fancy  to  imagine  that  they  were  bombarding  us.  In  connection  with 
this,  pieces  were  thrown  into  the  lake,  occasionally  rushing  madly 
around,  and  sending  up  into  the  air,  with  an  explosion  like  cannon, 
balls  of  fire  whose  course  we  could  trace  until  they  in  turn  exploded 
and  filled  the  whole  air  with  golden  rain  or  with  smaller  balls  which 
darted  madly  around  and  then  burst  with  a  loud  cracking  noise. 

Fully  to  appreciate  this  exhibition  you  must  try  to  imagine  its  im- 
mense extent.  It  was  not  from  a  few  pieces  alone,  but  there  were  a 
great  number  of  them  in  constant  and  long  succession.  It  was  like  the 
firing  of  a  park  of  artillery  in  sound.  It  seemed  as  though  this  must 
exhaust  the  genius  of  even  the  French  for  such  displays  and  we  rose 
to  go,  as  we  wished  to  get  home  before  the  immense  crowd,  when  sud- 
denly there  was  a  tremendous  explosion  and  a  shout  from  the  multi- 
tu(l(\  We  turned  and  were  greeted  with  something  more  grand  and 
terrific  than  anything  we  had  seen  before.  Directly  in  the  centre  there 
issued  a  stream  of  fire  and  balls  of  various  colors,  branching  out  into 

-<i  299  }a^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

a  fan-shape,  rising  high  ahove  the  trees  and  filling  the  sky  with  beauti- 
ful and  many-colored  lights.  This  certainly  must  he  the  end,  and  we 
again  rose,  but  a  shout  and  a  rattling  fire  arrested  our  steps.  Along  the 
whole  line  and  in  front  of  every  arch,  erected  on  high  posts,  there  were 
revolving  arms  of  fire  sending  out  balls  of  green,  blue,  red,  and  white 
fire,  with  a  loud  report.  They  revolved  so  rapidly  that  it  seemed  as 
if  they  would  hurl  their  masses  at  our  heads.  During  this  grand 
fusillade  we  saw  the  jets  of  water  sink  to  the  ground,  and  we  knew  "  Le3 
Grands  Fetes  des  Eaux  "  was  over.  And  grand  it  was  beyond  any  con- 
ception I  had  of  the  possibilities  of  human  skill  in  that  direction. 

On  August  2nd  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  and  their  son  left  France.  The 
credentials  from  our  Government  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  the  interim 
was  spent  in  England  and  in  travel  upon  the  Continent.  On  the  1th 
of  August  Mr.  Giles  preached  for  Mr.  Presland  in  London.  August  10th 
finds  him  in  Manchester.  On  the  12th  the  English  Conference  which 
he  attended  met.  During  his  stay  in  Paisley  Mr.  Giles  spoke  in  the 
Town  Hall  to  a  crowded  audience.  Everywhere  he  went  there  were 
many  social  gatherings  at  which  the  English  friends  vied  with  one 
another  in  their  expressions  of  cordial  welcome. 

He  visited  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  and  by  August  29th  had  sailed 
for  Antwerp.  The  three  travelers  visited  the  Cologne  Cathedral  and 
much  enjoyed  a  day's  sail  on  the  Rhine.  After  a  short  stay  in  Strass- 
burg  they  went  to  Switzerland.  Lucerne  and  the  Rhigi  were  revisited, 
also  Meiringen,  Interlaken,  Lauterbrunnen,  Berne,  and  Geneva. 

Wherever  Mr.  Giles  went  the  church  in  Paris,  for  whose  well-being 
he  had  come  to  Europe,  was  uppermost  in  his  thoughts. 

On  September  5th  he  writes  to  Miss  Holmes  from  Lucerne: 

Please  to  let  me  know  as  early  as  possible  when  M.  Chevrier  will 
be  in  Paris,  that  I  may  not  fail  to  meet  him.  I  will  come  immediately 
if  necessary. 

I  think  it  would  be  well,  if  possible,  to  have  a  meeting  of  all  the 
New  Church  people  who  can  be  got  together  when  M.  Chevrier  arrives, 
and  organize  some  kind  of  a  general  society  for  the  propagation  of  the 
doctrines  in  France. 

Two  days  later  he  writes : 

-"€f  300  }§«"- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

I  am  glad  M.  Chevrier  is  in  Paris.  Please  let  me  know  on  the  receipt 
of  this  how  long  he  proposes  to  remain,  if  you  have  not  already  done  so. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  there  is  a  prospect  of  having  some  one  enter 
the  ministry  who  will  engage  in  it  witli  his  whole  heart  and  soul. 
I  knew  some  one  would  be  raised  up,  for  when  we  begin  to  work  in 
earnest  the  Lord  opens  the  way  and  provides  men.  I  am  sure  it  will  be 
so  in  France. 

I  should  like  to  meet  Pere  Hyacinthe.  The  Hon.  John  Bigelow  told 
me  he  had  talked  much  with  him  upon  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church 
and  had  given  him  some  books,  and  he  seemed  to  be  very  favorably 
disposed  towards  them.  He  may  do  something  in  his  way  to  help  the 
good  work,  indirectly  at  least.  And  the  time  must  soon  come  when 
there  will  be  just  as  much  freedom  in  France  to  preach  the  doctrines 
of  die  New  Church  as  there  is  in  America.  I  doubt  not  you  will  live  to 
see  it  and  rejoice  in  it. 

By  September  20th  the  travelers  were  once  more  in  Paris.  On  the 
22nd  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

It  seems  as  tliough  the  English  people  could  not  do  enough  for  us. 
I  should  be  more  or  less  than  human  if  I  did  not  have  a  warm  place  in 
my  heart  for  England.  I  trust  the  evidence  that  I  have  been  useful  to 
so  many  there  will  stimulate  me  to  do  all  in  my  power  for  the  church 
while  I  remain  in  this  world.  I  wish  I  could  do  as  much  for  France. 
But  the  wide  gulf  of  language  is  between  us.  I  never  appreciated  so 
fully  before  the  great  power  and  use  of  language.  "  Man  as  a  Spiritual 
Being  "  has  been  translated  into  French,  and  has  done  some  good  and 
will  probably  do  more,  and  I  may  do  something  for  the  people  in  some 
utlier  way.  The  French  Government  has  replied  to  our  request  made 
tlirougii  our  Government  for  liberty  to  worship  and  preach  our  doc- 
trines and  granted  it.  This  will  be  a  great  help  to  the  New  Church 
people  in  many  ways.  It  will  take  away  a  great  cause  of  fear,  and 
they  will  feel  much  more  freedom  to  work.  But  New  Churchmen  are 
'■  few  and  far  between.""  1  hope,  however,  that  lliore  will  now  be 
anotlier  beginning,  and  that  a  permanent  effort  will  be  made  to 
propagate   the   doctrines.      There   is   to   be   a   meeting  here   in   Miss 

-4  301  )3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Holmes's  house  this  afternoon  which  I   look  forward  to  with  some 
solicitude. 

Evening. 

Well,  the  meeting  is  over  and  I  am  relieved;  I  do  not  know  when  I 
have  had  a  more  trying  task  to  perform.  I  had  to  address  almost  total 
strangers  in  a  language  unknown  to  most  of  them,  and  very  imperfectly 
known  to  all  but  two  or  three  of  the  others.  The  man  who  had  acted 
as  their  minister  was  to  be  present,  and  I  knew  I  must  say  some  things 
quite  contrary  to  his  belief  and  practice.  I  knew  also  that  the  French 
are  very  sensitive  to  any  interference  with  their  affairs.  It  so  happened 
in  the  Lord's  good  Providence  that  there  was  a  lawyer  present  who 
understood  English  and  French  very  well.  I  would  say  a  few  sentences 
and  he  would  translate  them  into  French.  I  could  see  by  the  counte- 
nances that  a  good  impression  was  being  made  and  this  encouraged  me. 
After  I  had  spoken  about  half  an  hour  I  asked  Dr.  Poirson,  the  man  who 
has  acted  as  minister,  to  speak.  He  took  some  exceptions  to  what  I 
had  said  about  tlie  best  methods  of  propagating  the  doctrines  in  France. 
I  replied  in  as  pleasant  a  manner  as  possible,  and  tlie  whole  affair 
ended  very  happily  and  I  think  usefully.  After  the  formal  meeting 
was  over  they  stopped  and  talked  for  some  time  in  quite  an  animated 
way,  and  expressed  themselves  as  much  pleased.  Both  ladies  and 
gentlemen  took  me  very  warmly  by  the  hand  in  bidding  me  good 
evening.  I  feel  as  though  a  great  weight  were  taken  from  me  and 
that  my  coming  here  will  be  of  some  use  to  the  church,  even  more  than 
I  expected,  because  it  may  correct  some  errors  and  give  encouragement 
and  direction  to  the  work  which  will  be  of  great  use  in  future  move- 
ments. 

It  is  my  creed  that  when  we  try  to  do  good  from  a  love  of  being  use- 
ful to  others  we  always  succeed,  —  not  according  to  our  expectations, 
perhaps,  but  really,  and  it  may  be  in  a  much  larger  and  better  way.  It 
requires  some  faith  to  stick  to  the  principle,  sometimes,  but  I  am  sure 
it  is  true  and  will  prove  so  in  the  present  instance.  I  shall  take  much 
more  interest  in  the  church  in  France  and  shall  know  better  how  to 
help  it. 

September  29th  he  writes: 

-4  302  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,   1879 

Had  another  meeting  in  Miss  Holmes's  house  more  satisfactory  than 
the  first;  more  persons  were  present  and  a  statement  of  our  principles 
was  drawn  up  and  a  request  to  have  permission  granted  us  to  hold  meet- 
ings. This  was  signed  by  all  present.  It  was  engrossed  on  government 
paper,  and  will  be  sent  to  M.  Mercere. 

This  seems  to  me  to  settle  the  question  about  freedom  of  meeting  in 
Paris.  I  said  what  I  could  to  encourage  them  and  to  help  tliem  to  pur- 
sue a  wise  course  in  building  up  the  church. 

Called  on  Pere  Hyacinthe. 

On  October  1st  they  left  Paris  for  London.  Two  days  later  they 
went  to  Birmingham.  Here  they  were  again  received  very  cordially. 
Mr.  Giles  gives  details  of  gifts  and  speeches  and  social  gatherings  in 
his  diary,  but  perhaps  they  are  all  best  described  in  these  family  letters: 

Aug.  31,  1878. 

We  have  had  a  most  charming  visit  in  England.  It  seems  as  though 
the  New  Church  people  could  not  do  enough  for  us.  They  have  given 
us  parties  and  feted  us  and  tried  in  every  way  to  make  our  visit  pleas- 
ant. If  my  head  is  not  turned  it  will  not  be  for  the  want  of  attention 
and  praise. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paterson  of  Paisley  gave  us  a  supper  to  which  they 
invited  a  number  of  friends.  After  supper  Mr.  Paterson  rose  and  pro- 
posed my  health,  and  made  a  very  pretty  speech  in  which  he  stated  at 
some  length  the  use  my  books  had  been  to  the  church  in  Paisley.  It 
seems  he  has  read  many  of  my  sermons  to  the  society  while  they  were 
without  a  minister.  Mr.  AUbutt,  their  minister,  seconded  "the  toast," 
and  made  very  pleasant  allusions  fo  me  and  the  happiness  it  gave  tliem 
to  have  me  come  personally  among  them.  I  had  to  reply  of  course, 
which  1  did  as  well  as  I  could. 

A  busy  Sunday  in  Birmingham  is  thus  described: 

I  went  to  church  early  and  visited  the  Sunday  school.  Then  I 
preached  to  a  crowded  house  and  went  to  dine  with  some  friends;  at- 
tended tlie  Sunday  school  in  the  aiternoon,  distributed  prizes  and  ad- 
dressed the  scholars,  went  to  another  friend's  to  tea,  and  preached 

'■*i  303  J^^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

again  in  the  evening,  and  after  the  service  administered  the  Holy  Sup- 
per. So  you  see  I  had  a  good  day's  work.  I  was  somewhat  fatigued 
but  not  exhausted,  and  I  feel  as  well  as  ever  this  morning.  This  shows 
that  I  have  gained  very  much  strength  and  I  feel  much  encouraged. 

To  Miss  Holmes  he  writes  from  Manchester,  October  9,  1878: 

I  have  just  a  moment  to  write  you  a  line  and  let  you  know  how  we 
are.  Now  we  have  said  nearly  all  our  farewells.  The  friends  in  Bir- 
mingham and  Manchester  gave  us  quite  a  grand  reception  in  both 
places.  They  have  said  and  done  so  many  kind  and  charming  things 
that  I  cannot  be  too  grateful  to  them.  I  am  sure  I  do  not  deserve  half 
the  praise  they  give  me.  I  am  certain  the  knowledge  that  I  am  of  some 
use  will  stimulate  me  to  be  more  active  and  to  do  all  in  my  power 
to  deserve  their  good  opinion.  There  were  many  people  present  last 
night  and  many  speeches  made  which  it  would  not  become  me  to  repeat. 
But  instead  of  feeling  vain  I  am  humbled  that  I  have  done  no  more  and 
no  better  work. 

The  poet  Wordsworth  so  deeply  influenced  my  father  that  it  was  a 
keen  delight  to  him  to  visit  the  home  of  one  whose  writings  were  for 
him  a  stepping-stone  to  the  New  Church.  My  mother  too  loved  his 
poetry.  How  often  we  have  heard  our  parents  quote  favorite  passages! 
The  following  account  is  one  of  pure  enjoyment  and  entire  satisfaction: 

We  are  now  doing  the  English  lakes.  We  left  Manchester  yesterday 
morning  and  came  to  Windermere  in  the  cars,  and  then  we  took  an  old- 
fashioned  mail  coach  which  was  not  constructed  solely  with  reference 
to  ease,  and  rode  to  Grasmere,  which  we  reached  about  two  o'clock  p.  M. 
We  passed  many  interesting  places  of  which  we  only  caught  a  glimpse, 
one  of  which  was  Harriet  Martineau's  residence.  Another  was  Rydal 
Mount,  which  I  wanted  very  much  to  see.  So  after  lunch  your  mother 
and  I  went  back  and  got  the  best  view  we  could  of  Wordsworth's  home. 
It  was  quite  an  ascent  from  the  main  road  to  his  house,  and  when  we 
had  made  it  we  were  confronted  with  the  unpleasant  words  in  large 
letters  over  the  gate:  "No  Admittance.  This  is  private  property,  and 
not  open  to  the  public."     So  we  had  to  content  ourselves  with  looking 

-^  304  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,   1878-AUGUST,    1879 

into  paradise  from  without.  But  we  determined  to  get  as  good  a  view 
as  we  could.  I  discovered  a  lane  above  the  house  and  a  gate  which  was 
not  closed.  I  entered  and  soon  found  I  could  get  a  little  better  view  of 
the  grounds,  especially  of  a  walk  which  was  a  favorite  one  of  Words- 
worth's. We  also  had  a  lovely  view  of  Rydal  Water  and  of  the  hills 
opposite.  Imagine  your  father  climbing  a  wall  and  peeping  through 
every  crevice  to  get  a  glimpse  of  a  garden  and  an  old  house;  but  if  you 
had  been  with  me  you  would  have  seen  him  in  the  act. 

After  seeing  all  that  we  could  we  went  to  the  church  near  by  and  I 
peeped  in  at  the  windows,  but  saw  nothing  very  interesting.  Then  we 
made  our  way  to  the  rock,  "which  was  a  favorite  seat  of  the  poet's." 
We  both  climbed  it  and  sat  dowii.  It  was  too  hard  and  uncomfortable 
to  allow  of  any  poetic  inspiration.  Indeed,  the  feeling  was  quite  other- 
wise. We  stayed  there  long  enough  to  take  a  little  cold,  then  we  heard 
the  coach  coming  and  mounted  it  and  rode  to  our  hotel.  We  had 
a  charming  walk  and  ride,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  "  localize  "  Words- 
worth, and  to  get  an  idea  of  the  scenery  which  he  has  described,  and 
wliicli  had  such  an  important  influence  upon  him.  It  is  an  ideal  home 
for  a  poet.  The  vale  of  Grasmere  seems  to  me  to  be  the  most  beautiful 
spot  I  ever  saw.  We  were  fortunate  in  having  perfect  weather.  The 
air  was  mild,  there  was  a  soft  and  smoky  haze  over  the  hills,  just  deep 
enough  to  subdue  their  ruggedness  and  give  a  charm  to  their  forms.  I 
am  sure  there  was  an  influence  from  all  the  scene  which  pervaded  my 
soul.    I  do  not  know  when  I  have  spent  a  happier  day. 

Willie  and  I  walked  around  Grasmere  and  saw  what  we  could  of 
that  beautiful  village.  We  saw  the  house  in  which  Words^v•orth  lived 
before  he  went  to  Rydal  Mount,  and  where,  it  is  said,  he  spent  the  hap- 
piest part  (d  liis  life.  It  was  a  small,  homely  stone  building  in  a  back 
and  narrow  street  and  was  anything  but  poetical,  and  if  the  happiest 
time  of  bis  life  was  spent  tliere,  his  happiness  did  not  depend  much 
upon  natural  scenery.  We  saw  also  the  church  in  which  he  worshiped 
in  early  days  and  in  which  a  tablet  has  been  placed  to  his  memory.  His 
body  and  that  of  Coleridge  are  interred  in  one  corner  of  the  church- 
yard. We  wandered  around  a  wliile  and  then  went  back  to  the  hotel, 
which  you  must  know  was  the  Prince  Albert  Hotel.     Here  His  Royal 

-  •€■{  305  ]ii>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Highness  once  stopped  and  was  graciously  pleased  to  fish  in  the  lake, 
and  to  view  the  scenery,  of  which  he  highly  approved.  This  of  course 
makes  the  hostelry  highly  popular  with  every  Englishman,  and  enables 
John  Brown,  the  proprietor,  to  put  on  airs  and  to  charge  high  prices 
for  medium  accommodations. 

At  half  past  twelve  o'clock  we  took  the  coach  for  Keswick,  where  we 
now  are.  We  were  fortunate  in  getting  very  good  seats  on  top  of  the 
coach.  The  day  has  been  the  most  beautiful  I  ever  saw  in  England. 
There  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky  this  morning  and  there  was  a  gentle 
breeze,  just  enough  to  temper  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  ride  was  per- 
fectly lovely.  I  use  the  words  with  discrimination.  I  enjoyed  every 
moment.  We  had  a  view  of  some  of  the  noblest  hills  —  they  can  hardly 
be  called  mountains.  The  heather  is  now  in  flower,  and  the  famous 
Skiddaw  is  red  and  purple  with  its  blossoms.  I  cannot  conceive  that 
this  region  can  ever  be  more  beautiful  or  pleasant  than  it  is  now.  We 
are  very  fortunate  in  the  time  of  making  our  visit. 

While  in  Switzerland  Mr.  Giles  learned  of  the  death  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Worcester.    He  comments  upon  it  as  follows: 

How  beautiful  it  was  that  he  should  pass  away  unconsciously,  and 
that  the  beginning  of  the  end  should  come  upon  him  while  he  was  con- 
versing. I  have  heard  that  he  had  a  physical  fear  of  death,  as  some 
persons  have.  He  was  saved  from  all  suffering  he  might  have  en- 
dured from  that  source.  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  intelligence.  He 
seemed  so  bright  and  strong  during  the  Convention  that  I  thought  he 
might  last  for  years  to  come.  How  beautiful  it  was  that  he  could  at- 
tend the  Convention  and  administer  the  Holy  Supper  as  his  last  public 
act.  It  seemed  a  fitting  culmination  of  a  long  and  useful  life.  I  have 
thought  much  about  him  since  I  heard  of  his  departure.  It  brings  the 
spiritual  world  very  near  when  we  think  of  the  constantly  increasing 
number  of  friends  who  are  passing  into  it.  It  becomes  more  clearly 
and  fully  a  reality.  We  think  more  of  being  citizens  of  that  country 
and  of  living  with  those  who  are  congenial  to  us  and  of  engaging  in 
employments  for  which  we  are  fitted,  and  in  the  performance  of  which 
we  shall  find  our  happiness.     I  think  of  Mr.  Worcester  as  tlirowing  off 

-4  306  }>'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

all  the  feebleness  of  age  and  all  the  encumbrances  of  a  material  body 
and  entering  witli  ever-increasing  interest  and  power  into  uses  which  he 
has  become  fitted  to  perform. 

So  one  after  another  passes  on  and  helps  to  form  the  societies  in  the 
heavens  and  to  prepare  a  home  for  those  who  will  soon  follow  them.  I 
delight  to  think  that  some  of  the  acquaintances  I  have  made  here  I  shall 
renew  there.  There  are  beautiful  souls  in  the  world  which  we  meet 
only  for  a  short  time,  and  perhaps  never  see  again  here.  May  we  not 
meet  them  again  in  a  few  years  at  farthest  and  under  far  more  favor- 
able circumstances  enjoy  their  society?  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be 
so,  and  how  charming  it  will  be!  It  seems  almost  too  good  to  be 
true. 

Good  news  from  the  church  in  Paris  arrived  just  before  Mr.  Giles 
sailed  for  home.  He  writes  from  steamer  City  of  Berlin,  October  11, 
1878: 

We  were  greatly  delighted  to  get  your  letter  and  to  hear  such  good 
news  of  your  first  meeting.    How  cheering  it  is! 

I  saw  clearly  enough  that  something  of  the  kind  must  be  done  before 
you  could  make  any  successful  movement  in  building  up  the  church  in 
a  more  public  way.  We  all  need  something  more  than  a  philosophy; 
we  must  have  help  in  the  daily  duties  of  life.  We  need  higher  consider- 
ations and  purposes  than  any  derived  from  this  world  to  help  us  to  bear 
our  burdens  and  to  do  our  work  well.  I  am  sure  Dr.  Poirson  has  done 
as  well  as  he  could  and  the  New  Church  people  must  feel  very  grateful 
to  him.  He  has  looked  at  the  church  more  as  a  philosopher,  and  I 
doubt  not  his  work  has  been  very  useful.  I  wish  I  could  have  talked 
with  him;  I  might  have  been  able  by  my  experience  to  help  him  some. 

I  am  glad  you  saw  Dr.  Bayley  and  that  he  feels  interested  in  your 
work.  He  will  be  able  to  give  you  help,  I  have  no  doubt.  But  I  do 
very  much  doubt  the  wisdom  of  trying  to  hold  two  meetings  on  the  same 
day  in  different  languages.  It  is  best  not  to  try  to  do  too  much.  We 
cannot  force  anything,  we  must  grow. 

I  iiave  great  hope  of  M.  Berteaux;  1  think  he  did  just  right,  —  spoke 
a  few  minutes  and  llien  read  a  discourse.     If  he  pursues  this  plan  he 

-€i  307  }•>- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

will  gradually  acquire  the  practice  of  speaking  upon  religious  subjects, 
and  by  and  by  he  may  be  able  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  work. 
Remember  me  very  kindly  to  him  and  tell  him  that  I  shall  be  much 
pleased  to  get  a  line  from  him  whenever  he  has  time  or  fools  disposed 
to  write.     I  can  read  a  letter  in  French  if  it  is  written  plainly. 

I  am  so  happy  that  it  now  seems  as  though  my  coming  over  will  not 
be  entirely  useless.  The  thought  that  I  might  not  be  able  to  do  any 
good  by  it  has  been  the  only  thing  which  has  marred  the  pleasure  of  my 
visit.  But  I  am  sure  I  came  with  good  motives,  and  if  the  Lord  prospers 
the  little  I  have  done  I  shall  be  very  well  content. 

Mr.  Giles's  warm  interest  in  the  Paris  church  continued  unabated. 
Miss  Holmes  kept  him  in  constant  touch  by  correspondence,  and  in 
reply  he  wrote  many  letters  of  counsel  and  encouragement. 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  9,  1878. 
I  can  understand  that  it  must  be  a  great  responsibility  for  you  to 
have  the  meetings  at  your  house  and  must  cause  you  some  trouble. 
Things  will  be  constantly  occurring  in  this  transitional  stage  which  will 
require  wisdom  and  patience  to  meet.  But  do  as  well  as  you  can  and 
constantly  look  to  the  Lord  for  guidance  and  you  will  get  along  well. 
It  is  not  best  to  change  too  much,  and  it  is  always  wise  to  be  cautious 
in  adopting  new  things.  Occasionally,  however,  experiments  may  be 
tried  which  do  not  involve  any  risk,  to  see  how  they  will  work.  A  little 
novelty  in  our  modes  of  worship  sometimes  gives  a  pleasant  variety  and 
awakens  renewed  interest.  There  should  be  no  effort  and  no  wish  to 
exclude  any  one  from  your  meetings,  as  long  as  he  comes  to  worship 
the  Lord  and  leani  die  truths  of  the  New  Church  and  does  not  make 
himself  offensive  to  others.  To  guard  against  unpleasant  differences, 
I  know  of  no  better  means  than  to  adhere  to  the  idea  of  worship  and 
instruction  in  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church.  If  people  would  meet 
only  to  learn,  so  that  they  might  live  better,  many  difficulties  would  be 
avoided.  That  is  one  reason  why  I  spoke  so  plainly  about  tlie  neces- 
sity of  meeting  on  the  common  ground  of  the  New  Church  and  keeping 
all  minor  and  collateral  subjects  in  the  background.  You  will  find 
great  help  in  adhering  scrupulously  to  that.    There  are  a  thousand  in- 

-^4  308  ^'■- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,   1879 

teresting  questions  which  are  well  enough  in  their  place,  but  they  do  not 
properly  belong  to  a  society  in  your  present  state. 

I  think  it  would  be  an  excellent  thing  for  you  to  take  charge  of  the 
young  people.  It  will  do  them  good  and  you  much  more.  You  will  do 
more  than  the  preacher  to  propagate  tlie  doctrines  of  our  church.     I 

should  think  that  little  book  of  Mr.  B 's  would  be  a  good  one  to 

begin  with.  If  not,  you  must  write  one.  You  see  I  expect  great  things 
of  you;  I  know  you  are  capable  of  them.  Begin  any  good  work  and  the 
way  opens  as  one  goes  along. 

I  think  you  are  quite  right  in  taking  part  in  the  local  charities,  and 
I  hope  the  ladies  will  join  you.  It  will  bring  you  into  contact  with 
other  people  and  will  tend  to  win  the  good  graces  of  the  Government. 
There  is  nothing  that  keeps  the  soul  bright  and  develops  all  the  facul- 
ties so  well  as  having  plenty  to  do  and  doing  it.  But  no  good  can  be 
accomplished  without  effort.  Many  obstacles  must  be  overcome  and 
many  unpleasant  things  must  be  endured.  But  tlie  Lord  is  on  our 
side  and  He  will  help  and  reward  us. 

PniLADKi.PHiA,  Dec.  27,  1878. 

I  was  much  rejoiced  to  learn  that  you  had  finally  succeeded  in  get- 
ting permission  to  hold  your  meetings.  I  judge  from  what  you  say  that 
it  is  not  ([uitc  so  broad  and  full  as  you  expected  it  to  be.  But 
it  is  one  step  gained  and  that  may  help  you  to  take  another.  Men  have 
come  into  a  freer  state  of  thinking  upon  all  questions  of  civil  and  spir- 
itual life,  and  that  must  produce  in  time  a  corresponding  freedom  of 
action.  Perhaps  you  have  all  you  need  now;  and  a  feeling  of  limita- 
tion and  restraint  may  not  be  hurtful  to  some  minds  and  may  be  useful 
in  some  ways.  I  like  to  look  at  all  these  things  in  the  light  of  the 
Divine  Providence.  But  I  should  like  to  know  the  form  in  which  our 
request  was  granted;  I  say  our  because  you  see  I  regard  myself  as  one 
of  you.  Perhaps  if  you  arc  iiol  loo  luisy,  when  you  write  again  vou 
will  send  me  a  copy  of  your  permission  and  Irll  me  didic  iKirticulars 
about  it. 

The  S 's  have  always  appeared  friendly,  and  1  think  lliev  are. 

But  I  do  not  intend  to  put  myself  into  the  power  of  any  one.    Somehow 

-<i  309  ^■' 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  have  no  fear  of  being  harmed  and  never  have  had  any.  I  try  to  do 
my  work  and  leave  the  results  where  they  belong,  —  witli  the  Lord.  I 
have  long  known  that  some  of  the  ministers  do  not  like  me.  But  I  do 
not  blame  them  much.     I  don't  like  myself  very  well  sometimes. 

I  am  sorry  you  have  so  much  trouble  with  your  book  room.  It  must 
be  a  care  to  you;  but  it  may  be  a  great  blessing  not  only  to  you  but  to 
many  others.  I  can  easily  see  that  there  are  decided  advantages  in  hav- 
ing a  general  library  connected  with  a  New  Church  book  room.  I 
should  put  much  confidence  in  Mr.  Mittnacht's  judgment,  for  he  has 
had  much  experience,  and  I  believe  he  is  a  true  friend  of  the  church. 
I  was  much  pleased  with  him  and  was  very  sorry  not  to  see  him  this 
summer. 

Now,  my  dear  Miss  Holmes,  do  drop  in  and  have  a  little  chat  with 
us.  We  have  a  good  cheerful  fire  in  the  grate,  my  study  lamp  gives 
a  soft  and  pleasant  light,  and  we  can  offer  you  an  easy  chair.  There 
is  also  a  basket  of  delicious  fruit,  a  present  from  the  Simday  school, 
on  my  desk,  and  on  the  side  table  there  is  a  very  large  and  beautiful 
bouquet,  covering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  table,  a  present  from  the 
ladies  of  tlie  society.  Come,  you  shall  share  in  them  all.  Mrs.  Giles 
will  lay  aside  her  book,  and  I  will  put  away  my  writing,  and  we  will 
have  a  good  talk.  Well,  if  you  cannot  cross  the  ocean  in  a  minute  to- 
night, we  will  keep  the  invitation  open  for  you  and  our  hearts  open  to 
receive  you  when  you  can  come. 

Philadelphia,  Feb.  23,  1879. 

The  work  you  are  doing  is  small  in  itself,  but  I  am  sure  it  will  be 
large  in  its  results,  though  it  may  be  a  long  time  before  they  are  mani- 
fested. The  New  Church  truths  are  living  seeds,  and  they  will  grow, 
even  if  we  cannot  see  it  in  our  day.  All  the  influences  favorable  to 
the  New  Church  are  increasing  in  power,  and  will  continue  to  do  so. 
They  are  coming  from  the  spiritual  side,  from  the  spiritual  world,  and 
they  are  quickening  men's  minds  to  hunger  and  thirst  for  them.  They 
are  also  preparing  the  way  for  a  fuller  coming  of  the  Lord. 

What  a  blessed  privilege  it  is  to  work  for  the  establishment  of  this 
new  kingdom  on  the  eartli.  How  many  women  in  France  have  worked 
and  suff"ered  even  unto  death  to  establish  a  political  kingdom  in  the 

-4  310  }§^- 


PHILADELPHIA   PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,   1879 

past.  It  is  given  to  you  to  work  for  a  nobler  and  more  blessed  kingdom. 
There  are  many  difficulties  and  many  trying  and  unpleasant  things. 
But  the  Lord  does  not  ask  any  more  of  any  one  than  he  can  do.  I  am 
sure  you  are  doing  more  than  any  woman  in  France  for  the  good  of 
the  French  people.  Your  work  may  seem  small  but  it  is  not  so.  This 
must  be  your  encouragement  when  difficulties  arise.  It  is  a  great  thing 
to  "  learn  to  labor  and  to  wait." 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  you  have  more  trouble  with  your  library. 
I  hoped  you  had  made  such  arrangements  that  everything  would  run  on 
smoothly.  But  why  should  we  expect  anything  to  go  on  without  trouble 
and  much  care  and  labor?  I  think  you  may  have  many  responsibilities, 
but  they  will  all  help  to  make  a  noble  woman  of  you  if  you  meet  them 
with  a  right  spirit,  as  I  have  no  doubt  you  will.  It  is  much  nobler  to 
do  something  and  to  suffer  something  in  doing  it  tlian  it  would  be  to 
sit  down  and  live  an  idle  life,  and  simply  vegetate.  I  honor  you  for 
your  purpose  and  effort  and  I  am  sure  you  will  be  the  happier  for  it. 

The  right  way,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  to  exclude  none,  to  welcome  all, 
whatever  may  be  their  personal  opinions  about  many  subjects.  The 
advice  I  gave  you  at  the  last  meeting  was  the  result  of  my  long  experi- 
ence; and  that  was  to  meet  as  New  Churchmen,  to  learn  the  truths  of 
the  New  Church,  leaving  all  personal  and  external  matters  outside. 
Every  one  has  peculiarities  and  personal  opinions  about  many  things 
which  are  in  the  borderland  of  the  genuine  church  or  far  beyond  its 
boundaries,  it  may  be.  Some  will  believe  more  or  less  in  spiritism  and 
socialism,  some  will  be  republicans,  and  some  imperialists,  and  so  on. 
Such  differences  will  do  no  more  harm  than  differences  of  dress,  or  of 
color  of  the  eyes,  if  they  are  not  brought  into  your  meetings.  Let  there 
be  notliing  in  them  but  the  pure  principles  of  die  New  Church.  If 
there  is  not,  those  who  come  for  some  otlier  purpose  will  soon  remain 
away.    But  I  would  welcome  all  who  come. 

There  must  be  some  ritual.  "  It  is  the  dress,"  Swedenborg  says,  and 
we  need  a  dress  as  well  for  our  roligion  as  for  our  bodies.  The  New 
Church  will  have  a  ritual  but  it  will  not  be  the  principal  thing.  It  will 
only  be  for  use  in  its  proper  place.  But  noUiing  can  be  done  by  force; 
we  must  grow  into  the  right  way. 

-4  311  ).>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  think  it  is  much  better  for  you  to  have  your  meetings  at  a  private 
house  for  the  present.  You  will  learn  to  work  together,  you  will  gain 
strength,  and  there  are  pleasant  influences  about  a  private  house  or 
a  quiet  hall  which  have  a  restraining  and  elevating  effect.  T  think  you 
are  doing  very  well. 

So  much  has  been  told  of  the  experiences  of  the  Paris  church  that  but 
little  mention  has  been  made  of  the  constructive  work  necessary  to  tlie 
harmonious  development  of  the  Philadelphia  Society.  Among  its  mem- 
bers were  many  earnest  and  devoted  New  Churchmen  who,  because  of 
tenacious  and  opposite  opinions  held  by  other  equally  sincere  members, 
had  refrained  from  active  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  Society, 
so  that  conflict  might  be  avoided.  Some  who  had  come  into  the  Church 
from  tlie  Quakers  wished  little  or  no  ritual;  others  tliere  were  who  liked 
a  more  elaborate  service.  Some  would  like  to  join  the  General  Conven- 
tion and  work  with  the  Church  at  large;  others  opposed  it.  Mr.  Giles's 
one  aim  was  useful  work  in  harmony  for  the  Church.  To  achieve  it, 
members  should  unite  on  points  of  agreement.  Once  a  common  ground 
was  found,  to  stand  firmly  upon  it  and  work  for  the  general  good.  This 
practical  working  together  proved  a  most  unifying  process. 

The  first  efforts  were  made  in  the  direction  of  decoration  of  the 
church  windows.    Then  it  was  found  necessary  to  have  a  new  organ. 

Mr.  Giles  writes: 

The  difficulties  of  paying  for  it  were  not  overestimated.  The  whole 
machinery  and  all  the  motive  power  of  the  society  were  brought  into 
requisition  to  raise  the  money.  We  had  suppers  and  sales,  strawberry 
festivals,  concerts,  and  lectures,  until  every  one  was  weary  of  them, 
and  almost  of  the  organ  itself.  I  think  the  movement  was  useful  to 
the  society.  It  was  movement,  and  that  of  itself  was  worth  more  than 
the  organ.  It  awakened  a  more  general  interest  in  the  society,  brought 
its  members  together,  and  gave  them  some  practice  in  working  to- 
gether, and  prepared  them  in  due  time  to  lake  another  step. 

Important  changes  were  inaugurated  this  year.  The  by-laws  of  the 
society  were  altered  so  that  quarterly  meetings  were  held,  and  a  church 
committee  which  met  weekly  at  the  house  of  the  pastor  was  formed. 

Mr.  Giles  writes  of  it: 

~'4_  312  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

There  is  nothing  to  tell,  unless  it  be  of  a  new  church  committee  which 
meets  at  our  house  every  Wednesday  evening,  and  which  is  taking  hold 
of  church  work  in  good  earnest  and  I  think  will  accomplish  some 
valuable  results.  We  are  now  looking  over  the  ground  to  see  what 
material  we  have  for  a  good  working  New  Church  society.  The  ground 
has  lain  fallow  for  many  years,  and  I  hope  it  will  produce  some  good 
fruit.     I  want  to  do  something  here  that  will  stay  done. 

Of  one  occasion  he  says: 

Wednesday  evening  we  had  a  meeting  of  the  church  committee  at 
our  house  in  which  we  tried  to  heal  some  old  sores  and  do  some  good 
work,  and  I  think  we  made  good  progress  in  it.  I  am  pained  beyond 
measure  at  the  little  trivial  difficulties  which  keep  the  members  of  the 
church  apart,  and  the  petty  jealousies,  rivalries,  and  irritations  by 
which  tlie  spiritual  power  of  the  church  is  dissipated.  I  have  never  seen 
a  society  yet  which  possessed  and  exerted  more  than  a  small  fraction 
of  the  spiritual  power  which  it  could  and  ought  to  have  embodied  and 
communicated.  With  our  grand  truths,  the  very  elements  of  power, 
how  liltlc  wo  impress  the  community  with  their  superiority! 

The  members  of  this  committee  were  broad-minded  men  who  wished 
not  only  to  promote  the  healthy  growth  of  the  society,  but  had  warmly 
at  heart  the  good  of  the  Church  at  large.  They  might  differ  as  to 
methods,  but  each  respected  the  others'  opinions,  and  results  were  at- 
tained without  friction.  All  of  the  important  measures  taken  up  by  the 
society  had  tlieir  origin  here.  One  of  these,  begun  later  in  the  year, 
was  the  weekly  publication  of  Mr.  Giles's  lectures.  Copies  of  the  dis- 
course of  tlie  preceding  week  were  distributed  in  the  pews,  and  those 
who  came  were  at  liberty  to  take  them  home  if  they  chose.  Tliis  plan 
had  already  been  successfully  carried  out  in  New  York. 

.Mi'iitiun  has  previously  been  made  of  Mr.  Giles's  strong  love  for 
children  and  his  remarkable  success  in  interesting  diem.  With  a  win- 
ning smile  he  would  hcr^iii  his  remarks  with  (|iicstions  on  some  subject 
of  vital  interest  to  cliildliuod.  Here  and  tliere  an  eager  child  would 
respond,  until  the  attention  of  every  one  was  held.  Then  step  by  step 
the  a|)|)arciilly  unimportant  bcfjiiming  was  found  to  lead  to  some  spir- 
itual truth  made  clear  by  illustrations  and  e.xperiences  familiar  to  tlie 
children. 

-<i  313  ]^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

At  Easter  and  at  Christmas  the  children  of  the  Sunday  school  had 
special  seats  assigned  tliem  in  the  church.  The  service  was  especially 
adapted  to  them,  the  music  was  familiar,  and  the  sermon  a  story- 
sermon,  which  all  could  comprehend. 

At  Easter  of  this  year  the  first  of  these  services  was  held  in  Phila- 
delphia.   Mr.  Giles  writes: 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  day.  The  children  of  the  Sunday  school 
occupied  the  seats  in  the  body  of  tlie  church,  as  many  as  they  could 
fill.  Wc  went  through  with  the  usual  service,  a  little  shortened,  the 
children  doing  the  singing  with  the  assistance  of  the  older  people,  and 
instead  of  a  sermon  I  read  a  story  entitled:  "The  Earth  People  Who 
Lived  in  the  Ground."  They  listened  with  profound  attention,  hardly 
stirring  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  Every  one,  so  far  as  we  have 
learned,  was  delighted.  The  children  and  the  babies  and  the  flowers 
produced  a  delightful  sphere  —  both  natural  and  spiritual.  It  was 
very  lovely,  and  the  older  children  seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  much  as  the 
younger  ones. 

I  have  long  been  of  the  opinion  that  more  ought  to  be  done  for  the 
children.  They  demand  "  life."  They  do  not  care  about  abstract 
truths.  I  think  a  picture  presented  in  a  story  has  far  more  effect  upon 
them  than  an  exhortation.  And  it  is  surprising  what  a  perception  they 
have  of  an  allegory  of  any  kind.  We  succeeded  so  well  I  think  we 
shall  try  it  again.     More  must  be  done  for  the  children. 

Not  only  was  Mr.  Giles  interested  in  children  as  future  members  of 
the  Church,  but  his  affectionate  interest  extended  to  individuals  and 
particular  needs. 

To  a  mother  of  many  children  he  wrote: 

Remember,  there  is  an  unconscious  and  involuntary  influence  flow- 
ing forth  from  every  one,  especially  a  mother,  which  will  have  a  power- 
ful effect  for  good  or  evil.  Heavenly  affections  cannot  but  have  a  good 
influence,  and  the  more  you  look  upon  your  child  as  a  gift  of  the  Lord  to 
you,  accompanied  with  a  commission  to  return  it  to  Him  in  as  pure  and 
as  beautiful  a  form  as  possible,  the  more  help  you  will  get.  The  Lord 
will  work  with  you  and  help  you  to  do  the  work  He  gave  you  to  do.     I 

-4  314  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

feel  more  and  more  like  going  to  the  Lord  and  trusting  Him.     If  we 
cannot  trust  Infinite  Love  and  Wisdom  what  can  we  trusts 

Herewith  is  made  mention  of  the  new  plan  for  the  distribution  of 
Mr.  Giles's  lectures. 

The  subject  of  my  lecture  to-night  is:  "The  End  of  the  World  — 
What  world?  "  At  least  that  is  the  way  it  is  announced  in  the  papers. 
I  am  a  little  curious  to  know  how  it  will  be  received,  —  whether  it  will 
be  understood  or  not.  The  lecture  is  already  in  print  and  will  be 
handed  to  tlie  audience  afterwards,  as  tliey  pass  out  of  tlie  door.  This 
is  an  experiment.  Some  of  our  friends  thought  it  would  be  a  good  way 
of  calling  attention  to  the  book,  and  would  enable  those  who  would  like 
to  do  it,  to  look  over  with  more  care  the  tliought  and  truth  set  forth  in 
the  lecture. 

Feb.  5,  1879. 

My  book  on  "  Human  Stewardship  "  is  done.  The  plates  are  made, 
and  I  presume  it  will  be  printed  this  week  and  sent  in  sheets  to  London, 
where  it  will  be  published  first.  But  it  will  be  issued  here  as  soon  as 
it  is  published  there.  The  Lippincotts  want  to  control  the  sale  of  it  in 
England. 

Saturday  Evening,  Feb.  7,  1879. 

I  was  quite  surprised  and  gratified  to  find  from  the  Messenger  that 
my  article  in  the  symposium  on  "  What  is  Revelation?  "  has  been  pub- 
lished in  the  Contemporary  Review  of  London.  The  greater  part  of  it 
was  written  during  the  evening  and  morning  before  I  sailed.  It  is 
certainly  an  encouragement  to  write  more.  It  has  now  been  published 
in  four  different  papers  and  as  a  tract. 

I  went  to  hear  Henrv'  Ward  Beecher  last  night.  He  spoke  on  "  Amuse- 
ments." The  lecture  was  very  good  in  many  respects.  He  said  some 
true  and  useful  things  and  some  very  foolish  ones.  But  he  was  inter- 
esting throughout.  1  think  he  is  one  of  the  best  if  not  the  best  speaker 
I  ever  heard.  He  has  a  wonderful  command  of  language,  and  he  is  rich 
in  illustrations,  and  he  speaks  with  ease  and  force.  He  said  in  his 
lecture  that  he  had  had  his  share  of  sorrow,  but  he  thanked  the  Lord 
more  for  his  love  of  nature  and  his  power  of  getting  happiness  out  of 

—^  315  }•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

its  beauty  and  grandeur  than  for  anything  else.     He  spoke  touchingly 
of  his  indebtedness  to  his  mother  for  it. 

I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  Mr.  Seward  is  getting  along  so  well  in  New 
York,  and  that  the  attendance  is  so  good.  I  presume  some  who  dis- 
liked me  will  come  back  and  be  glad  to  take  an  active  part  in  tlie  society 
again,  and  those  who  were  my  friends  will  remain.  So  my  coming 
away  will  be  a  gain  and  not  a  loss.  I  am  sure  Mr.  Seward  finds  the 
society  in  a  much  better  condition  than  I  did. 

To  Miss  Holmes 

Philadelphia,  June  19,  1879. 

There  are  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  building  up  the  Lord's 
kingdom.  Some  are  more  external  and  some  are  internal.  The  inter- 
nal are  the  most  difficult  to  overcome.  But  only  think  what  encourage- 
ments we  have.  The  Lord  and  tlie  angels  and  all  heaven  are  working 
to  bring  forward  the  New  Age.  All  that  any  one  can  do  is  a  mere 
drop  to  the  ocean.  So  we  will  stand  in  our  places  and  do  our  work  as 
well  as  we  can  and  try  to  be  content  with  it. 

I  used  to  be  discouraged  and  impatient,  but  I  am  not  so  much  so  now. 
I  am  trying  to  learn  to  do  my  work  and  leave  the  results  with  the  Lord, 
where  they  belong.  They  are  very  small,  and  yet  they  help  to  make  the 
great  tide  of  powerful  heavenly  forces  which  are  beginning  to  move  the 
world  to  its  profoundest  depths. 

I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  M.  Mallet  and  M.  Chevrier  have  proposed 
to  help  you.  Let  them  do  it,  I  beg  of  you.  It  will  do  them  good.  It 
will  get  them  initiated  into  the  work,  and  when  a  beginning  is  made 
there  is  no  telling  where  one  can  stop.  I  can  understand  that  it  may 
be  a  little  embarrassing  at  first  and  may  lead  to  some  complications; 
but  I  am  sure  nothing  serious  will  grow  out  of  it,  and  I  can  conceive 
that  much  good  may  come  of  it. 

The  Lord  does  not  depend  upon  any  one  man  or  upon  all  men.  His 
work  will  go  on.  We  are  mere  atoms  in  the  universe,  and  yet  we  have 
an  important  use  to  perform  to  other  atoms.  I  have  thought  of  our 
influence  and  relations  to  others  in  this  way.  We  are  like  particles  of 
matter  in  a  telegraphic  wire.     We  stand  in  our  places  and  pass  the 

-4  316  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

communication  on.  We  cannot  do  the  whole  of  it;  we  cannot  work  in 
the  future;  we  can  live  only  in  the  present.  We  cannot  measure  the 
effects.  By  your  influence  and  efforts  somebody  will  be  raised  up  to 
carry  on  the  work  in  France  more  vigorously.  We  may  not  be  able 
to  see  whom  or  how,  but  the  Lord  sees  and  we  must  trust  Him. 

Not  only  were  his  counsels  and  encouragement  given  to  the  little 
society  in  Paris,  but  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  was  also  extended 
to  New  Churchmen  in  Germany  and  Switzerland. 

Portions  of  such  letters  written  on  behalf  of  the  General  Convention 
are  here  given: 

To  the  German  New  Church  Union 

June  24,  1879. 

No  sincere  lover  of  humanity,  who  has  any  knowledge  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  New  Church,  can  be  indifferent  to  every  wise  effort  to 
make  them  known  to  any  people,  much  less  to  a  people  who  have  done 
so  mucli  It)  bring  out  these  doctrines  from  the  secluded  recesses  of  a 
public  library  and  make  them  known  to  the  world.  The  name  of  Dr. 
Immanuel  Tafel  of  Tubingen  will  always  be  cherished  in  the  hearts 
anil  dear  to  the  memory  of  every  New  Churchman  for  his  learned  and 
unwearied  labors  in  editing  and  publishing  the  writings  of  Sweden- 
borg,  and  the  interesting  documents  concerning  his  personal  history. 
It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  know  that  others  of  his  countrymen  are 
coming  forward  to  take  his  place  and  carry  on  the  work  which  he  began 
and  so  efficiently  performed. 

We  are  well  aware  that  you  will  have  many  difficulties  to  contend 
with.  All  New  Churchmen  have.  We  have  our  own  partial  conceptions 
of  the  truth  to  mislead,  and  our  unrcgenerate  natures  to  oppose  us. 
Ignorance  must  be  enlightened  and  inveterate  prejudices  overcome.  We 
have  confirmed  errors  to  oppose  and  organized  institutions,  consoli- 
dated by  the  growth  of  centuries,  to  hinder  us.  You,  without  doubt, 
will  have  difficulties  to  meet  peculiarly  your  own,  —  difficulties  which 
grow  out  of  your  civil  institutions,  and  the  powerful  ecclesiastical 
polity  wliicli  preoccupies  the  field  of  your  operations  and  involves 
many  personal  and  public  interests.     From  these  and  other  causes  it 

-4  317  )3.~- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

may  be  more  difficult  to  effect  changes,  and  the  propagation  of  new 
truths  may  require  metliods  specially  adapted  to  the  customs  and  habits 
of  your  people.    Of  these  things  you  are  the  best  judges. 

We  rejoice  to  learn  that  you  have  united  for  the  purpose  of  assisting 
each  other  in  this  good  work.  "  In  union  is  strength."  In  union  one 
man  has  the  strength  of  all  for  his  help.  We  gain  confidence  and  power 
and  assistance  in  every  way,  when  the  hearts  of  others  beat  in  harmony 
with  our  own  and  the  arms  of  others  are  extended  for  our  support. 

The  New  Church  in  America  regards  with  deep  and  peculiar  interest 
every  effort  to  disseminate  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Age  among  the 
German-speaking  people.  It  will  give  us  great  pleasure  to  hear  of 
your  efforts  and  of  your  success,  and  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  aid  you. 
Large  numbers  of  your  people  have  become  citizens  of  America;  your 
language  is  widely  spoken  in  our  country  and  your  books  and  papers 
are  extensively  read.  There  are  many  natural  bonds  of  sympathy  be- 
tween us.  May  they  form  a  common  ground  on  which  we  can  stand 
while  we  come  into  closer  spiritual  union  by  means  of  these  heavenly 
truths  and  affections  which  are  not  limited  by  time  and  space,  and  which 
have  power  to  make  men  of  all  nations  one,  and  to  conjoin  all  with  the 
Lord. 

To  the  New  Church  Union  in  Switzerland 

June  24,  1879. 
By  a  resolution  of  the  General  Convention  of  the  New  Church  in 
America,  passed  at  its  late  session  in  New  York,  it  is  made  my  pleasing 
duty  to  convey  to  you  the  cordial  esteem  and  fraternal  regard  for  you 
of  the  New  Churchmen  in  America.  We  desire  to  assure  you  that  we 
regard  with  profound  interest  your  efforts  to  make  known  the  truths  of 
the  New  Church  to  a  people  so  brave  and  intelligent  as  the  Swiss,  and 
so  conspicuous  for  their  love  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  and  so  stead- 
fast in  their  defense  of  it.  We  pray  that  they  may  become  as  ardent 
recipients,  and  as  able  supporters,  of  spiritual  freedom.  Every  Ameri- 
can feels  an  intense  sympathy  with  all  wise  efforts  to  establish  civil 
freedom,  but  our  interests  as  New  Churchmen  must  be  much  deeper 
with  those  who  are  laboring  to  disseminate  those  spiritual  truths  which 
make  men  free  indeed. 

-^  318  }•>•- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

Spiritual  ties  are  the  deepest  and  most  enduring.  As  we  rise  above 
the  natural  plane  of  life,  the  distinctions  of  birth,  family,  and  race  be- 
come less  pronounced  and  influential  and  tlie  bonds  of  spiritual  kinship 
increase  in  extent  and  power  and  draw  us  into  a  closer  and  a  more  vital 
union.  We  have  one  Father.  We  are  brethren;  we  are  heirs  to  the 
same  heavenly  inheritance,  and  we  are  working  together  to  accomplish 
the  same  ends.  We  have  common  hopes;  we  have  tlie  same  joys,  and 
trust  at  last  to  dwell  in  the  same  eternal  home. 

As  spiritual  beings  no  ocean  rolls  between  us,  no  mountains  bar  our 
access  to  one  another.  Being  members  of  one  body  the  same  life 
flows  into  us,  awakens  our  aff^ections,  and  moves  our  thoughts  to  action. 
The  love,  wisdom,  and  power  received  by  one  can  be  communicated  to 
all.  We  need  your  aid  and  sympathy.  It  encourages  and  helps  us  to 
see  you  working  wisely  and  faithfully.  And  according  to  the  same  law 
our  love,  sympathy,  and  fidelity  to  duty  will  help  you. 

Every  efi"ort  to  build  up  tlie  Lord's  kingdom  upon  the  earth  is  made 
in  the  direction  of  all  the  currents  of  the  Divine  order;  the  truths  we 
teach  are  the  principles  of  that  order,  and  the  Lord  has  declared  that 
His  Word  shall  not  return  unto  Him  void  but  shall  accomplish  that 
whereunto  He  sent  it.  The  New  Church  is  the  church  of  the  future. 
We  have,  therefore,  every  assurance  that  our  eff^orts  to  teach  its 
truths  and  organize  those  who  receive  them  into  societies  will  meet 
with  a  measure  of  success  equal  to  the  wisdom  and  fidelity  of  our 
work. 

You  have  our  deep  sympatliy  in  your  labors  and  it  will  always  give 
us  pleasure  to  hear  from  you  and  to  learn  of  your  success.  It  will  give 
us  equal  pleasure  to  do  anything  in  our  power  to  bring  your  Union 
into  close  and  harmonious  relations  with  the  New  Churchmen  in  Amer- 
ica, and  to  realize  in  all  our  relations  and  activities  that  we  are  children 
of  the  same  Father,  that  we  are  engaged  in  the  same  work,  and  that  we 
may  ultimately  reach  the  same  home  in  heaven. 

Early  in  July  Mr.  Giles  again  sailed  for  Europe,  accompanied  by 
his  son  Charles. 

He  preached  on  board  the  ship  to  an  extremely  appreciative  audience, 
and  thus  describes  the  occasion  in  a  letter  to  the  Messenger: 

-4  319  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

On  Saturday,  tlie  fifth.  Captain  Harris  and  several  gentlemen  among 
the  passengers  invited  me  to  preach  Sunday  morning,  and  to  give  a 
statement  of  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church.  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  at  this,  as  it  is  customary  on  such  occasions  to  speak  upon 
some  topic  about  which  there  is  not  likely  to  be  any  difference  of 
opinion. 

I  spoke  about  forty-five  minutes  to  as  attentive  an  audience  as  I 
would  wish  to  address.  I  began  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord,  and 
gave  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  our  Church  as  well  as  I  could  in  the 
time.  The  statement  excited  a  great  amount  of  comment,  which  con- 
tinued more  or  less  during  the  whole  voyage. 

There  were  many  special  conditions  and  associations  connected  with 
the  service  which  were  peculiarly  interesting.  We  were  a  little  com- 
pany gathered  from  many  nations;  we  were  alone  upon  the  ocean. 
There  was  no  human  being  and  no  sail  in  sight,  and  nothing  but  a  plank, 
or  a  thin  sheet  of  iron,  between  us  and  the  devouring  waves.  But  we 
were  in  His  care  and  keeping  Who  loves  all  His  children,  and  Who  can 
protect  them  on  the  sea  as  well  as  on  the  land.  As  our  songs  mingled 
with  the  sound  of  the  waves  dashing  against  the  strong  sides  of  the 
vessel  and  of  the  wind  sighing  through  its  cordage,  it  was  delightful  to 
think  that  the  ear  of  the  All-Merciful  One  was  open  to  the  praises  we 
sang  to  Him,  and  that  He  could  distinguish  the  sounds  of  affection  from 
the  wild  and  empty  voice  of  the  sea. 

On  Mr.  Giles's  arrival  in  Liverpool  he  found  several  cordial  letters 
of  invitation  to  visit  and  to  preach  in  different  places.  Of  the  latter 
he  says: 

I  am  determined  not  to  tie  myself  down  to  hard  work  on  Sundays. 
I  would  be  glad  not  to  preach  at  all;  but  I  cannot  get  rid  of  it  entirely. 
To-morrow  I  am  going  to  Accrington,  where  I  expect  to  preach  on 
Sunday  in  the  morning  and  to  return  and  preach  in  Peter  Street  in 
Manchester  in  the  evening.  This  will  be  quite  work  enough  for  one 
day.  I  presume  also  I  shall  preach  in  Birmingham,  though  I  have  not 
been  asked  yet.  But  I  do  not  intend  to  make  preaching  my  practice 
while  I  am  here. 

-^  320  }3f- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1878-AUGUST,    1879 

Liverpool  looked  as  black  and  forbidding  as  ever,  and  we  did  not 
care  to  remain  there  any  longer  than  to  get  something  to  eat. 

Mr.  Broadfield  wrote  to  me  that  he  might  not  be  at  home,  but  to  come 
to  his  house,  —  our  rooms  were  ready,  and  we  would  be  well  cared  for, 
and  we  did  as  he  told  us. 

Mr.  Parkinson  saw  us  drive  along  the  street  and  he  came  in  before 
we  had  dismissed  our  cab  and  invited  us  to  his  house.  We  accepted 
the  invitation  after  tea,  so  we  changed  our  clothes,  washed,  and  then  we 
went  to  Mr.  Parkinson's.  We  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tafel  from  London 
there.  We  spent  a  pleasant  evening  and  stayed  until  ten  o'clock.  We 
had  not  been  back  long  before  Mr.  Broadfield  came  in  and  gave  us  a 
hearty  welcome  and  we  sat  and  chatted  a  long  time,  and  now  I  am  writ- 
ing when  I  ought  to  be  in  bed.    So  ends  the  day. 

Everything  looks  familiar.  The  grass  is  as  green  and  the  sky  as 
dark  and  gloomy  as  ever,  and  the  people  as  cordial. 

From  London  he  writes: 

August  14,  1879. 

I  see  more  and  more  that  my  writings  are  having  a  great  influence 
and  that  their  influence  is  increasing.  I  hear  new  instances  of  it  wher- 
ever I  go.  I  must  try  to  do  more  than  I  have  ever  done  to  build  up  the 
Lord's  kingdom  on  the  earth.  I  have  had  many  requests  to  publish 
nearly  ever)-  sermon  I  have  delivered  since  I  came  over,  and  in  some 
cases  I  have  been  quite  persistently  urged  to  do  so.  I  tliink  that  this 
is  not  a  mere  compliment,  but  a  sincere  belief  that  they  would  be  useful. 
Well,  we  must  all  do  what  we  can. 

I  am  sure  the  people  think  much  more  of  me  here  than  they  do  at 
home.    Perhaps  it  is  because  they  know  me  better  there. 

In  London  Mr.  Giles  took  cold  and  was  tlms  prevented  from  speak- 
ing at  the  Conference.    From  Paris  he  writes  of  his  London  experiences: 

Paris,  Aug.  17,  1879. 
Here  we  are,  you  see,  in  the  jilace  where  all  good  Americans  go 
when  they  die,  according  to  common  saying.     It  is  a  very  charming 
place  in  some  respects,  but  it  is  not  exactly  my  idea  of  heaven,  or  of 

-M  321  }•*- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY  GILES 

the  oliior  place  which  must  not  be  mentioned  to  ears  polite.  But  it  is 
very  pleasant  to  get  out  of  smoke  and  clouds,  to  see  the  sky  once  more, 
and  to  have  a  horizon  which  does  not  shut  you  in  like  a  prison. 

But  London  is  a  grand  city.  It  is  so  large  that  it  takes  a  long  time 
to  get  an  adequate  idea  of  it.  I  am  not  surprised  that  it  has  a  great 
fascination  for  many  people,  and  if  it  were  not  for  the  smoke  and  the 
constant  rain  it  would  be  a  delightful  city  to  live  in.  But  with  these 
drawbacks  I  think  I  prefer  our  own  quiet  little  home  in  Philadelphia. 
We  have  a  sun  and  a  sky  and  a  clear  atmosphere,  and  plenty  of  good 
fruit. 

I  have  had  several  invitations  to  preach  next  year  when  I  come 
over!!! 

They  said  that  the  meeting  at  the  Conference  at  which  I  was  expected 
to  speak  was  crowded  to  suffocation.  Some  persons  came  from  several 
miles  in  the  country  on  purpose  to  hear  me.  I  know  many  were  dis- 
appointed. One  lady  told  me  she  could  have  cried  when  she  found  I 
had  spoken  at  the  introduction  of  the  American  ministers  and  she  was 
too  late  to  hear  me.  Just  before  I  came  away  I  received  a  letter  from 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Birmingham  Society  thanking  me  for 
my  sermons,  and  strongly  urging  me  to  publish  the  one  on  "  Modern 
Unbelief."     I  think  I  will  do  it  when  I  have  time  to  look  it  over. 

I  was  disappointed  in  not  seeing  more  of  the  Conference.  I  was 
there  only  one  day.  I  hoped  to  see  more  of  the  ministers  and  get 
better  acquainted  with  their  methods  of  doing  business. 


-^  322  ^- 


CHAPTER   XV 

Philadelphia  Pastorate,  August,  1879-September,  1880 

kJoME  of  Mr.  Giles's  letters  to  the  Messenger  are  of  general  interest, 
and  extracts  from  them  are  herewith  given  without  further  comment. 

Manchester,  August  27,  1879. 

A  fair  day  as  far  as  I  can  learn  has  quite  a  different  meaning  in 
England,  and  especially  in  Lancashire,  from  what  it  has  with  us.  If 
it  does  not  rain  much,  or  all  the  time,  if  it  is  the  kind  of  rain  tlie  minis- 
ter prayed  for,  —  not  a  minister  in  England,  for  there  is  no  need  of 
praying  for  rain  here,  it  comes  without  asking,  —  "a  drizzling,  fizzling 
kind  of  rain"  witli  an  occasional  cessation,  it  is  "fair."  If  the  sun 
l)reaks  out  from  the  clouds  and  shines  long  enough  for  your  umbrella 
to  dry,  it  is  "  fine."  This,  so  far  as  I  can  learn  from  observation,  and 
the  unconscious  and  therefore  most  trustworthy  testimony  of  tlie  in- 
habitants, is  the  general  character  of  the  climate.  This  year  it  has 
been  much  worse.  I  saw  it  stated  in  a  London  paper  that  it  had  rained 
forty-three  successive  Sundays,  and  it  has  kept  on  doing  it  ever  since. 

It  might  reasonably  be  expected  that  so  much  dark  and  dismal 
weather  would  produce  a  corresponding  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the 
I)eople.  One  would  naturally  think  they  would  be  as  morose,  sad,  and 
tearful  as  the  atmosphere.  But  such  is  by  no  means  the  case.  Their 
minds  are  bright  anil  their  hearts  are  warm  and  sunny,  though  die 
winds  are  cold  and  the  day  gloomy.  How  they  resist  the  influence  of 
such  a  wet  and  dismal  climate  is  a  secret  which  is  known  only  to  them- 
selves. Perhaps  Milton  referred  to  it  when  he  said  in  effect  that  he 
who  has  clear  light  witliin  may  sit  in  tlie  centre  and  see  bright  day.  By 
the  "centre "  he  must  have  had  a  prophetic  reference  to  Manchester, 
which  is  the  centre  of  the  gloomiest  climate  I  know,  and  also  of  cotton 
manufactures.     However  this  may  be,  the  people  I  have  had  the  pleas- 

-4  323  )^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

ure  of  knowing  have  the  light  witliiii,  aiul  ihey  let  it  shine  upon  their 
friends. 

Manchester  is  especially  interesting  to  New  Churchmen  as  the  theatre 
of  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  John  Clowes,  whose  memory  is  held  in  great 
respect  and  affection  by  tlie  older  members  of  the  New  Church.  It 
was  my  pleasure  to  meet  one  old  gentleman  who  seemed  to  be  imbued 
with  the  serenity  and  sweetness  of  mind  which  characterized  Mr.  Clowes, 
and  who  told  me  that  the  last  official  act  of  that  venerable  man  was  the 
consecration  of  his  marriage.  This  brought  mc  into  a  more  living 
connection  witli  him,  and  helped  me  to  realize  his  personality. 

Mr.  Clowes  was  a  voluminous  writer  of  New  Church  books,  which 
must  have  had  a  great  influence  in  their  day.  Though  he  retained  his 
connection  witli  the  Church  of  England  he  went  into  the  country  round 
about,  like  his  Master  of  old,  teaching  in  the  villages  and  sowing  the 
good  seed  of  the  new  kingdom.  And  the  fruits  of  his  labors  have  been 
very  abundant.  The  seed  he  sowed  has  grown  and  become  the  nucleus 
of  many  flourishing  societies  in  the  neighboring  towns.  Manchester  is 
probably  the  centre  of  a  larger  New  Church  population  than  any  city 
in  England,  and  perhaps  in  the  world.  Many  of  the  societies  have 
houses  of  worship  of  their  own,  and  some  of  them  very  good  ones. 
Others  are  old  and  rather  primitive  in  their  style  of  architecture  and 
arrangements  for  worship.  But  they  will  soon  be  changed  for  more 
commodious  and  beautiful  edifices  when  the  times  are  a  little  brighter. 
There  are  many  earnest  and  intelligent  men  and  women  among  the 
members  of  the  church,  and  they  will  not  permit  its  external  wants 
to  be  long  neglected. 

While  staying  in  Manchester,  among  dieir  many  attentions  and  un- 
remitting kindnesses  my  friends  procured  a  seat  for  me  on  the  platfonn 
at  a  political  meeting  held  by  the  Liberal  party  on  the  Greek  question, 
which  is  now  exciting  much  interest  in  England.  I  was  much  pleased 
to  have  an  opportunity  to  see  a  large  meeting  of  the  people  and  to  ob- 
serve the  methods  of  conducting  it,  and  the  general  spirit  and  manner 
of  expressing  their  sentiments.  The  meeting  was  very  large  and  en- 
thusiastic but  perfectly  orderly.  It  was  estimated  that  there  were  five 
thousand  persons  present.     I  have  heard  of  houses  being  "packed," 

-^  324  }^.  - 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

but  I  never  knew  the  meaning  of  the  word  before.  There  was  not  a 
spot  unoccupied  on  which  a  man  could  sit  or  stand.  They  were  crowded 
and  squeezed  together  so  compactly  that  only  human  faces  were  visible. 
It  was  an  audience  of  heads  and  faces,  and  they  were  good  faces  too, 
which  had  brains  behind  them. 

I  could  not  but  think  that  these  were  the  men  to  whom  England  owes 
her  wealth,  power,  and  greatness,  far  more  than  to  her  kings  and 
queens  and  aristocracy.  Here  were  the  giants  who  had  laid  every 
clime  under  contribution  to  increase  their  wealth;  the  soldiers  of  in- 
dustry whose  peaceful  victories  are  blessing  the  world. 

The  hall  was  full  long  before  the  time  for  the  speaking  to  commence. 
The  interim  was  occupied  in  singing  patriotic  songs,  accompanied  by 
a  grand  organ.  When  the  people  were  familiar  with  the  words  and 
music  the  effect  was  truly  grand  and  soul-stirring.  As  the  men  who 
were  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings,  and  who  were  well  known  to  the 
people,  came  in,  tliey  were  greeted  with  loud  cheers.  But  the  cheering 
reached  its  climax  when  Jacob  Bright  and  Lord  Rosebery  appeared. 
Hands  and  hats  were  flying  in  the  air  and  the  great  hall  echoed  with  the 
wild  and  almost  deafening  shouts  of  five  thousand  stentorian  voices. 

The  business  of  the  meeting  was  conducted  very  much  as  it  would  be 
in  America.  The  chairman  introduced  the  subject  by  some  appropriate 
remarks,  and  Jacob  Bright,  the  brother  of  John  Bright,  and  a  member 
of  Parliament,  moved  tlie  resolution  and  made  a  calm  and  lucid  speech 
of  half  an  hour.  Lord  Rosebery,  however,  was  the  principal  speaker 
and  the  great  attraction.  He  spoke  about  an  hour  and  spoke  well.  He 
delivered  some  good  hits  against  the  government  which  were  always 
received  with  hearty  applause.  He  spoke  readily,  but  not  fluently,  nor 
with  the  earnestness  which  carried  the  impression  that  he  was  advocat- 
ing a  very  important  cause. 

Other  men  followed  who  spoke  well,  but  the  climax  had  been  reached 
and  the  audience  began  gradually  to  disperse.  1  did  not  remain  to  the 
end.  The  air  was  stifling  and  I  was  glad  to  escape  from  the  hall,  even 
into  the  rain.  But  I  was  much  pleased  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  kind. 
It  afi^ords  a  good  occasion  to  learn  the  character  of  a  people,  and  to 
see  the  drift  of  public  sentiment,  which  is  sure  in  die  end  to  prevail. 

-4  325  }3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Birmingham,  September  24,  1879. 

Birmingham  is  situated  nearly  in  the  centre  of  England.  Politically 
it  is  the  country's  most  radical  city  and  takes  the  lead  in  all  the  great 
questions  of  political  reform. 

Rowland  Hill,  who  introduced  cheap  postage,  Joseph  Priestley,  the 
discoverer  of  oxygen  and  many  other  gases,  and  James  Watt,  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  power  of  steam  and  the  inventor  of  the  steam  engine,  were 
all  natives  of  Birmingham,  and  statues  to  their  honor  adorn  the  city. 

The  first  house  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
erected  in  Birmingham.  Services  are  still  held  in  it,  though  it  has 
passed  out  of  the  hands  of  New  Church  people. 

The  membership  of  the  Church  in  Birmingham  is  in  some  respects 
quite  peculiar.  The  society  is  more  like  a  large  family  than  any  I 
have  ever  seen.  The  active  and  influential  members  are  related  by 
marriage  or  otherwise,  and  many  of  the  families  live  in  little  groups 
near  each  other  so  that  they  are  brought  into  very  intimate  social  con- 
tact. The  yoimg  people,  of  whom  diere  are  large  numbers  in  proportion 
to  the  size  of  the  society,  give  life  and  freshness  to  its  social  intercourse, 
and  find  such  ample  means  for  amusement  and  intellectual  culture 
among  tliemselves  that  they  have  but  little  inclination  to  go  outside  of 
their  own  circle  for  their  pleasures. 

The  society  is  fortunate  in  another  respect.  Its  leading  members  are 
on  about  the  same  social  level.  Tliey  are  intelligent  and  active  busi- 
ness men  who  have  accumulated  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  to  give 
their  children  a  good  education,  and  to  provide  their  families  with  com- 
fortable and  even  beautiful  homes.  This  social  equality  is  a  great 
advantage. 

The  friends  of  the  New  Church  in  Birmingham  seem  to  have  all  the 
elements  and  means  necessary  to  a  society  of  great  and  increasing  power. 
They  have  a  large  number  of  young  men  and  women  who  have  grovm 
up  under  the  influence  of  the  Church;  they  have  some  veterans  in  the 
work  of  the  Church  who  are  still  strong  and  active,  and  a  house  of  wor- 
ship sufficiently  beautiful  to  satisfy  a  cultivated  taste,  and  supplied  with 
every  requisite  for  vigorous  work;  they  have  a  minister  in  the  prime 
of  life  who  does  good  work  now,  and  who  will  do  better  and  more 

-4  326  }§^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

eflfective  work  in  the  future,  as  his  mind  becomes  enlarged  by  a  wider 
and  more  particular  knowledge  of  spiritual  truth  and  his  power  in- 
creases by  experience  and  practice;  and,  in  common  with  all  societies, 
they  have  the  glorious  truths  of  the  New  Church  for  their  light  and 
guide.  If  the  society  does  not  become  a  great  and  beneficent  spiritual 
force  in  Birmingham  it  will  be  from  ignorance  of  its  advantages  and 
dereliction  in  duty. 

I  had  thought  of  Birmingham  only  as  a  great  and  gloomy  manufac- 
turing town.  But  I  foimd  it  famous  as  the  home  of  men  who  have  been 
the  benefactors  of  humanity  and  the  centres  of  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  freedom  which  must  ultimately  prevail.  I  found  also  a 
society  of  the  New  Church  which  in  some  important  respects  seemed 
to  me  to  be  as  homogeneous  and  well  equipped  for  work  as  any  I  had 
ever  seen.  I  went  there,  as  I  supposed,  a  stranger,  and  I  found  myself 
among  friends  who  welcomed  me  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  and  did 
everything  in  their  power  to  make  me  feel  at  home  and  to  make  my 
visit  delightful.  But  this  has  been  done  everywhere  in  England  and 
Scotland,  and  there  is  no  ground  for  any  invidious  distinctions.  I 
shall  always  remember  my  visits  with  deep  pleasure,  and  feel  that 
I  have  been  enriched  by  the  acquaintances  and  friends  I  have  made. 

LONDO.N,  October  1,  1879. 

It  is  well  known  that  Swedenborg  visited  London  several  times,  pub- 
lished some  of  his  most  important  works  there,  and  died  in  that  city. 
The  first  society  of  the  New  Church  was  formed  in  London,  and  the 
earliest  organized  efforts  to  propagate  llie  doctrines  of  die  new  age 
were  made  there.  It  seems  peculiarly  appropriate  that  those  truths 
which  are  the  central  principles  of  a  new  step  in  the  life  of  humanity, 
should  first  be  systematically  propagated  from  the  financial  and  intel- 
lectual centre  of  the  world. 

There  are  now  eight  societies  of  the  New  Church  in  London,  the  most 
important  ofwhich  are  the  Argyle  Square,  Camberwell,  Camden  Road, 
and  Kensington. 

The  society  in  Argyle  Square,  from  which  it  takes  its  name,  is  more 
nearly  in  die  centre  of  London  than  the  oUiers,  being  near  King's  Cross 

--4  327  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

and  the  stations  of  the  three  great  nortliern  railways.  The  Rev.  John 
Presland  is  its  minister.  He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  is  a  ready  and  im- 
pressive speaker,  and  a  hard  worker.  He  succeeded  Dr.  Bayley,  who 
left  it  to  build  up  a  society  at  Kensington.  Dr.  Bayley  took  a  large 
niimlu-r  of  the  society  with  him.  and  it  is  the  best  evidence  of  Mr.  Pres- 
land's  ability,  energy,  and  wisdom,  that  the  membership  is  now  as  large 
as  it  was  before  Dr.  Bayley  left.  It  contains  many  intelligent  and  in- 
fluential members  who  are  active  in  the  work  of  the  church,  and  in  all 
the  efforts  to  propagate  the  new  truths. 

Dr.  Bayley,  who  is  probably  belter  kno^\Ti  in  tliis  country  than  any 
other  New  Church  minister  in  London,  has  built  up  the  flourishing  and 
powerful  society  of  Kensington,  in  die  West  End  of  London.  He  is  the 
author  of  many  works  which  have  had  a  wide  circulation  in  this  country 
as  well  as  in  his  own.  He  is  a  ready  and  forcible  extempore  speaker, 
quotes  largely  from  the  Word  and  the  hpiin  book  in  his  discourses,  and 
though  seventy  years  of  age  is  foremost  and  active  in  all  church  work. 
May  it  be  many  years  before  he  will  finish  his  share  of  it  in  this  world. 
I  have  very  little  personal  knowledge  of  the  members  of  his  society 
and  therefore  cannot  speak  of  them.  I  know,  however,  that  they  are 
full  of  zeal  and  energy,  and  keep  abreast  with  all  the  movements  in  the 
Church  for  lengthening  her  cords  and  strengthening  her  stakes. 

The  Camden  Road  Society  formerly  worshipped  at  Cross  Street, 
Hatton  Garden,  where  Mr.  Noble,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Hiller,  preached. 
A  few  years  ago  the  society  sold  its  property  in  Cross  Street  and  erected 
a  very  handsome  church  in  Camden  Road,  in  the  northern  part  of  Lon- 
don. The  Rev.  R.  L.  Tafel  has  been  the  minister  for  some  years.  Mr, 
Tafel  is  well  knowTi  in  the  New  Church  as  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
indomitable  industry  in  the  study  of  the  New  Church  writings.  He  was 
employed  by  the  General  Convention  before  his  settlement  in  London 
to  go  to  Stockholm  and  examine  Swedenborg's  manuscripts,  and  gain 
what  knowledge  he  could  concerning  Swedenborg  and  his  works.  The 
results  of  his  labors  are  the  magnificent  photo-lithographs  of  the  most 
important  manuscripts,  and  three  octavo  volumes  of  miscellany  con- 
cerning Swedenborg's  life  and  writings.  Mr.  Tafel  has  a  very  interest- 
ing society,  but  difficulties  have  lately  arisen  which  have  resulted  in 

-4  328  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

the  withdrawal  of  some  of  its  old  and  able  members.  As  a  preacher, 
we  judge  from  what  we  have  heard  from  others  and  from  his  published 
discourses,  he  specially  interests  those  who  delight  in  the  unfolding  of 
tlie  spiritual  sense  of  passages  from  the  Word  whose  meaning  is  some- 
what obscure,  and  in  a  somewhat  rigid  statement  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  New  Church.  The  music  in  the  Camden  Road  Society  is  noted  for 
its  excellence. 

The  Rev.  William  Bruce,  the  editor  of  the  Intellectual  Repository, 
and  the  author  of  "  Commentaries  upon  Matthew,  John,  and  the  Reve- 
lation," preaches  occasionally.  He  reached  his  eightieth  year  this 
summer,  and  he  says  he  is  beginning  to  grow  old,  but  there  are  no 
indications  of  it  in  his  writings  unless  they  arc  to  be  found  in  their 
gentleness  of  tone,  and  the  clearness  of  insight  into  spiritual  truths 
which  comes  from  purified  affections. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Clissold,  though  in  advanced  age  and  feeble  health, 
still  uses  his  pen  in  exposing  the  errors  of  the  past  age  and  setting 
forth  the  truths  of  the  new.  He  has  never  severed  his  connection  with 
tlie  Church  of  England,  though  he  lias  not  performed  any  official  service 
in  it  for  many  years.  He  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  Swedenborg 
Printing  and  Publishing  Society  and  has  contributed  largely  to  its  funds. 
He  gave  to  the  society  tlie  house  in  Bloomsbury  Street,  which  is  now  the 
headquarters  of  the  publishing  business  of  tlie  New  Church  in  England. 

There  are  many  cultivated  and  energetic  laymen  in  London  who  read 
to  societies  having  no  minister,  and  in  some  cases  act  as  missionaries. 
Societies  are  formed  for  many  purposes  in  which  they  take  an  active 
part,  and  form  a  sound  and  vigorous  body  for  practical  work.  The 
ladies  also  are  not  in  the  least  behind  the  men  in  their  devotion  to 
the  interests  of  the  church,  and  in  the  help  which  they  give  to  it  in  their 
way.  They  are  not  so  conspicuous  in  public  work.  Iml  what  ihcy  do  is 
equally  important.  Witliout  their  sympathy  and  cooperation  the  men 
could  do  but  little. 

Mr.  Hillcr  regarded  London  as  the  most  important  and  rniitl'iil  field 
for  the  New  Church.  Not  so  niucli.  |irrlia|)s,  Imrii  the  number  of  per- 
sons in  the  city  who  would  accept  its  doctrines  as  frotii  the  fact  of  its 
being  a  great  centre  of  influence  which  extends  to  the  whole  world. 

-*i  329  )•♦  - 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

\^niat  is  (lone  there  is  in  an  important  sense  done  everywhere.  Our 
friends,  therefore,  have  every  encouragement  to  do  true  and  faithful 
work  in  building  up  strong  and  active  societies  with  wide  sympathies 
and  comprehensive  principles,  that  there  may  be  a  vigorous  and  gener- 
ous heart  for  the  great  body  of  humanity  which  comes  within  the  sphere 
of  its  influence. 

One  entire  letter,  dated  October  29,  1879,  gives  a  biographical  sketch 
of  the  great  Frenchman,  M.  Le  Boys  des  Guays.  Space  will  only  per- 
mit us  to  mention  the  very  interesting  fact  of  his  unremitting  industry 
in  the  translation  of  Swedenborg  from  the  original  Latin  into  French. 

In  1&43  he  calculated  that  by  translating  ten  pages  of  the  Latin  text 
a  day  he  would  be  able  in  seven  years  to  translate  all  tlie  writings  of 
Swedenborg.  In  1850  he  had  achieved  his  task.  Few  men  had  a  ca- 
pacity for  labor  equal  to  his.  He  took  his  pen  at  seven  in  the  morning 
and  laid  it  down  at  half  past  nine  in  the  evening,  intermitting  his  work 
only  to  take  a  very  sparing  meal  and  a  short  walk  in  his  garden.  His 
handwriting  was  fine,  neat,  regular,  and  never  bore  the  least  marks  of 
fatigue. 

His  devotion  to  the  work  was  such  that  he  refused  political  prefer- 
ment in  order  to  prosecute  it. 

My  father  thus  comments: 

It  shows  of  what  patience,  unselfish  devotion,  and  faithful  work  the 
French  mind  is  ca])able.  Le  Boys  des  Guays  is  a  promise  and  pledge 
that  otlier  men  will  do  the  work  of  their  day  as  he  did  the  work  of  his. 
Wise,  able,  and  eloquent  men  will  arise  when  the  time  is  ripe ;  they  will 
teach  the  truths  of  the  New  Church  openly,  and  will  scatter  broadcast 
the  works  which  he  translated. 

But  the  friends  of  the  New  Church  in  France  must  not  sit  idle  and 
wait  for  the  coming  of  the  time  and  the  men.  They  have  much  to  do  in 
hastening  the  day  and  preparing  the  men  and  the  way  for  their  coming. 
Every  age  and  every  man  is  a  John  the  Baptist  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
and  preparing  the  way  for  the  coming  of  a  better  age. 

A  comment  on  the  preceding  is  given  in  the  following  letter,  dated 
Nov.  14, 1879: 

-'•€{  330  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  C.  H.  Allen 

Your  letters  in  the  Messenger  have  given  me  real  pleasure,  especially 
that  in  which  you  so  graphically  describe  M.  Le  Boys  des  Guays.  How 
wonderfully  the  Lord  prepares  and  raises  up  His  chosen  messengers 
and  gives  them  strength  to  perform  His  work!  May  He  strengthen  you, 
dear  Brother,  to  go  on  with  your  noble  work  in  the  free  land  of  Amer- 
ica, the  reflex  of  which  pulsates  across  the  broad  ocean  and  beats  in 
gentle  undulations  even  upon  the  poor  shingly  beach  of  my  too  faithful 
heart.  1  think  I  told  you  I  was  secretary  to  the  Anti-Slavery  Society.  I 
send  you  a  letter  I  wrote  to  the  Times  respecting  outrages  in  the  South 
and  the  great  exodus  of  colored  freedraen.  The  facts  reported  are  too 
terrible,  and  I  am  afraid  they  are  true.  Surely  the  noble  North  cannot 
justify  or  approve  such  acts.  Will  you  kindly  tell  me  how  tar  they 
are  known  in  the  North  and  what  steps  are  taken  to  put  a  stop  to  such 
enormities.  I  suppose  this  feeling  against  the  Democrats  is  partly 
owing  to  the  bad  conduct  of  the  Southerners.  Would  it  not  be  well  to 
have  Grant  back  again?  They  tell  us  he  kept  the  South  in  order  and 
protected  the  negro.  Your  views  on  the  subject  will  be  much  prized 
by  me,  for  I  am  anxious  only  to  obtain  the  truth.  Much  feeling  is  ex- 
cited here  by  the  constant  reports  of  these  awful  outrages.  Do  not  say 
you  will  not  cross  the  Atlantic  again  or  I  shall  be  forced  to  say  "  I 
will."    I  wish  I  could  bring  my  wife  to  visit  your  noble  country. 

In  a  letter  from  Brussels,  dated  August  27,  1879,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Miss  Holmes  says  I  have  done  them  more  good  than  I  can  imagine 
by  my  coming  last  year.  She  says  they  would  not  have  moved  a  step 
if  I  had  not  come  and  helped  them.  She  says  I  can  have  no  idea  of 
the  influence  of  my  visit,  and  il  it  is  an  abiding  one  I  believe  I  may 
do  them  as  much  good  this  year  as  last.  This  is  a  great  comfort  to 
me.  I  shall  go  home  feeling  that  I  did  not  run  before  1  was  called 
and  that  my  vacation  has  been  useful  to  otliers  as  well  as  to  myself. 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  earnest  and  kind  and  cordial  they  have  all  been. 

I  have  now  a  little  better  insight  into  the  peculiarities  of  the  French 
nature,  and  I  shall  know  better  bow  to  help  the  little  society.  Well,  it 
is  pleasant  to  know  we  can  help  others. 

-<{  331  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

To  Miss  Holmes 

Birmingham,  Aug.  30,  1879. 

I  am  sorry  you  cannot  make  things  go  to  suit  you  better,  but  you  must 
not  be  too  impatient.  Do  what  you  can  without  worry  and  do  not  be 
too  anxious  or  too  much  disheartened  if  the  church  does  not  move  along 
as  fast  as  you  could  desire.  It  will  succeed.  We  will  do  what  we  can 
and  leave  results  with  the  Lord.  The  work  you  have  already  done  will 
have  a  great  influence,  and  diat  will  continue  even  if  you  should  not  be 
able  to  do  any  more.  But  you  will  be,  and  when  you  are  as  old  as 
I  am  you  will  see  the  greatest  changes.  So,  my  dear  child,  be  patient 
and  take  some  comfort,  and  be  thankful  that  the  Lord  has  given  you  the 
means  and  the  will  to  do  as  much  as  you  have  done.  Am  I  scolding 
you?     Not  in  the  least.     I  want  to  comfort,  strengthen,  and  help  you. 

How  many  times  I  have  wished  I  could  speak  French.  I  should  be 
so  much  pleased  to  address  your  people.  But  I  cannot,  and  so  I  must 
be  content  to  let  others  do  it.  If  I  could  speak  I  should  have  been  with 
you  before  diis,  doing  what  I  could  to  help  forward  the  Second  Coming 
among  the  French  people. 

On  the  lionieward  voyage  the  steamer  on  wliich  Mr.  Giles  sailed 
struck  a  Norwegian  barque  loaded  with  sugar  and  cut  her  in  two,  one 
part  going  one  side  of  the  steamer  and  the  other  the  other  side.  Tlie 
steamer  was  stopped  and  backed,  and  the  boats  were  lowered  in  an  in- 
credibly short  space  of  time.  The  forward  part  of  the  vessel  went  down 
immediately  with  five  sailors  who  were  asleep  in  her.  The  after  part 
floated  a  wliile  and  die  boats  soon  rescued  the  men  who  were  on  it,  and 
the  captain,  who  was  clinging  to  a  spar.  The  boats  were  back  in  an 
hour  and  the  steamer  was  under  motion  again.  Five  men  were  saved 
and  five  lost. 

This  accident  created  much  excitement  on  board  the  ship  and  was  the 
theme  of  conversation  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage.  Much  sym- 
pathy was  felt  for  the  unfortunates,  and  subscriptions  were  taken  up 
for  the  benefit  of  the  rescued  seamen. 

September  8th.  the  wedding  anniversary  which  brought  to  my  mother 
so  many  beautiful  letters,  occurred  during  this  voyage.  My  father's 
Uioughts  were  homeward  bound  to  her  who  was  the  centre  of  his  home, 
and  are  thus,  in  part,  expressed: 

-4  332  )§— 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

It  is  a  lovely  day,  the  most  lovely  we  have  enjoyed  since  we  left 
Europe.  The  ocean  is  at  rest.  The  sun  shines  out  from  the  clear  blue 
heavens  and  the  waters  sparkle  and  glow  with  his  reflected  rays.  Where 
it  is  not  bright  it  is  "darkly,  deeply,  beautifully  blue;"  I  have  never 
seen  such  a  day  upon  the  ocean.  We  are  nearing  home.  Already  the 
influence  of  the  land  in  which  our  home  lies  is  distinctly  perceptible. 
May  it  be  a  true  omen  of  our  own  life.  May  it  grow  brighter  and  more 
peaceful  toward  its  close,  and  may  we  feel  more  and  more  distinctly  the 
pure  and  lovely  sphere  of  heavenly  influences  which  constantly  flow 
forth  from  the  bright  homes  toward  which  we  are  hastening  and  in 
which  we  hope  forever  to  rest. 

After  his  arrival  he  writes  from  Philadelphia,  October  2,  1879: 

I  am  going  to  Ithaca  Saturday  to  preach  on  Sunday  before  the  profes- 
sors and  students  of  Cornell  University.  I  think  your  mother  wiU  go 
with  me.  She  has  had  an  invitation  from  the  president,  and  I  think 
it  will  be  a  pleasant  trip  for  her.  I  have  been  trying  to  write  two  ser- 
mons for  the  occasion  and  am  now  in  sight  of  the  end  of  the  last  one. 


'D' 


Miss  Holmes  has  married  a  M.  Charles  Humann,  and  Mr.  Giles's 
letters  are  now  addressed  to  her  new  name. 

To  Mme.  Humann 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  16,  1879. 
The  New  Church  in  relation  to  the  old  is  like  a  little  sprout  just  out 
of  the  ground  compared  witli  the  mighty  trunk  of  a  tree  which  has  been 
centuries  in  growing  but  which  is  now  dead.  It  can  grow  no  more  and 
must  become  constantly  weaker,  while  the  sapling,  weak  in  itself,  is 
constantly  gaining  strength,  and  in  the  case  of  the  New  Church  is  a  tree 
of  life  which  will  continue  to  grow  forever,  bearing  all  manner  of 
good  fruit,  and  whose  leaves,  even,  will  have  power  to  heal  the  nations. 
I  do  not  doubt  that  a  hall  uill  in'  a  better  place  for  meeting  than  a 
private  dwelling.  You  will  get  a  larger  number  of  hearers  and  be 
more  likely  to  find  those  who  will  receive  the  doctrines  and  whose 
hearts  will  be  animated  by  tliem.     Go  on  witli  tlie  good  work.     Let 

-^  333  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

nolliing  discourage  you.  You  will  gain  some  measure  of  success  and 
you  will  be  preparing  the  way  for  still  greater  success  in  the  future. 
M.  Humann  will  become  more  interested  in  it  and  be  able  to  perform  a 
constantly  enlarging  use. 

The  following  letters  describe  an  episode  in  the  life  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Society  which  had  far-reaching  consequences: 

Nov.  10,  1879. 
We  are  having  quite  an  exciting  time  here  in  the  New  Church.  We 
applied  for  the  hall  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  for  lec- 
tures and  were  refused  on  the  ground  that  we  are  not  Evangelical.  The 
papers  got  hold  of  it,  and  they  have  made  it  very  warm  for  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Dr.  Magoon,  a  Baptist  minister,  came  to  me  and  offered 
us  his  church.  His  offer,  made  in  writing,  and  my  reply,  were  pub- 
lished in  all  tlie  papers  and  became  quite  a  general  topic  of  conversa- 
tion. The  result  was  such  a  crowd  last  night  as  I  never  saw  before  in 
any  church.  So  great  was  the  pressure  to  get  in  that  the  doors  were 
finally  locked.  People  stood  in  the  aisles.  Every  stairway  and  the 
steps  to  the  pulpit  were  covered,  and  even  the  organ  loft  was  crowded. 
Dr.  Magoon  sat  with  me  in  the  pulpit  and  took  part  in  the  services.  He 
introduced  me  very  handsomely.  I  spoke  about  an  hour  on  "  Spiritual 
Death:  its  Nature,  Origin,  Delights  and  Torments,"  and  though  it  was 
very  sultry  and  the  house  was  so  closely  packed,  I  held  the  attention 
to  the  last.    I  stand  it  very  well. 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  12,  1879. 

I  enclose  a  report  of  the  meeting  Sunday  night.  How  the  man  knew 
that  I  had  written  over  a  hundred  books  I  do  not  know.  With  that  ex- 
ception the  account  is  very  good.  It  was  estimated  by  one  gentleman 
who  stood  outside  that  two  thousand  people  came  who  could  not  get 
seats  and  went  away.  There  was  a  stream  of  people  coming  and  going 
for  forty  minutes  after  there  was  not  standing  room  in  the  house.  I  do 
not  flatter  myself  that  they  came  to  hear  me  or  from  any  love  for  the 
New  Church ;  I  suppose  they  came  from  curiosity, 

I  think  it  will  be  useful  to  our  people.     It  will  stimulate  them  to 

-4  334  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

greater  activity  and  give  them  more  hope.  It  will  call  the  attention  of 
the  people  to  our  church  and  may  lead  some  to  embrace  our  doctrines. 
If  it  does  not  accomplish  that,  it  will  have  some  effect  in  allaying  preju- 
dice and  showing  people  that  we  are  not  wild  fanatics.  The  papers 
gave  very  full  reports  of  the  lecture,  and  that  also  will  help. 

In  all  this  matter  I  think  we  stand  very  well  in  die  estimation  of  the 
community.  It  is  the  general  opinion  that  we  have  pursued  a  wise  and 
honorable  course,  and  I  am  sure  we  shall  gain  by  it,  if  we  are  not  too 
much  elated  and  do  some  foolish  thing  which  will  cause  a  reaction,  and 
I  do  not  think  we  shall. 

From  Chauncey  Giles  to  his  Daughter 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  16,  1879. 

I  preached  on  "  What  is  Evangelical  Religion,"  and  it  was  the  pur- 
pose not  only  to  define  it,  but  to  show  that  the  New  Church  is  Evan- 
gelical. I  had  good  attention  and  I  think  it  probable  that  the  sermon 
will  be  published.  I  found  there  was  so  much  interest  in  knowing  some- 
thing about  us  that  it  seemed  to  me  it  would  be  wise  to  change  my  sub- 
ject from  that  announced  in  the  Manual,  and  take  one  more  especially 
adapted  to  what  seemed  to  be  a  point  of  interest  in  the  public  mind. 

I  do  not  know  what  we  shall  do  after  to-night.  We  may  either  hire 
St.  George's  Hall  or  go  back  to  our  own  church.  We  do  not  propose 
to  go  to  Dr.  Magoon's  church  again,  though  he  has  offered  it  to  us.  It 
might  embarrass  him  in  some  way,  and  tliis  we  should  be  very  sorry  to 
do.    We  will  do  the  best  we  can  and  leave  the  results  where  they  belong. 

Philadelphia,  Sunday  evening,  Eleven  o'clock,  1879. 

We  had  the  same  crowd  to-night.  People  were  going  away  when  we 
came,  and  that  was  some  minutes  before  the  time  for  service.  Every 
particle  of  space  was  occupied  and  many  went  away.  A  great  crowd 
gathered  in  the  street  before  the  doors  were  opened. 

But  the  best  of  all  was  the  address  of  Dr.  Magoon  before  I  com- 
menced. He  said  he  was  out  among  the  crowd  before  the  doors  were 
opened,  listening  to  the  remarks,  when  a  young  man  asked  if  I  was 
going  to  be  there  to-night.    Wlien  assured  tliat  I  was,  he  said,  "  Those 

-4  335  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

people  don't  believe  in  die  Bible,  do  they?"  "What  makes  you  think 
so?  "  Dr.  Magoon  said.    "  Some  man  told  me  so,"  he  replied. 

Then  Dr.  Magoon  went  on  and  said  it  was  very  strange  that  a  people 
should  be  so  misunderstood.  He  said  we  were  remarkable  for  two 
things  in  particular,  —  our  belief  in  the  sole  and  absolute  Divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible.  He  spoke  particularly 
of  our  belief  in  the  Bible,  referred  to  Noble's  "  Plenary  Inspiration,"  to 
Dr.  Bayley's  works,  those  of  Professor  Parsons  and  the  "  True  Chris- 
tian Religion,"  and  said  he  had  profited  greatly  by  reading  them. 

His  remarks  gave  me  an  occasion  to  say  something  about  our  position 
in  the  world,  and  the  difficulty  we  find  in  getting  truly  known.  My 
lecture  was  listened  to  with  profound  attention.  There  were  many  of 
our  people  present.  They  must  have  gone  early  or  they  could  not  have 
obtained  seats. 

Well,  tliis  has  been  a  successful  day  in  some  respects,  I  am  sure. 
I  think  Dr.  Magoon's  remarks  will  do  us  much  good  in  allaying  preju- 
dice and  as  an  incentive  to  attendance  at  our  church.  I  am  very  tired, 
too  much  so  to  sleep.    But  I  must  try  it.    So  good-night. 

The  account  is  continued  as  follows: 

Monday  the  Baptist  minsters  hauled  Dr.  Magoon  over  the  coals  for 
inviting  me  to  preach  in  his  pulpit,  and  they  had  quite  a  lively  debate 
upon  the  subject.  Of  course  my  name  is  coupled  with  the  Doctor's  and 
the  papers  comment  upon  the  remarks.  Two  weeks  ago  the  National 
Baptist,  a  weekly  paper  published  by  the  Baptists,  had  a  very  false 
and  specious  article  under  the  title,  "Swedenborg,  —  What  Did  He 
Teach?  "  I  have  replied  to  it,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  the  editor  will 
admit  it  or  not. 

When  Dr.  Magoon  was  arraigned  by  the  Conference  of  Baptist  Min- 
isters he  addressed  them  as  follows: 

"  Now,  brethren,  you  have  a  perfect  right  to  form  and  express  your 
own  private  opinion  as  to  the  mental  calibre  and  the  moral  excellence 
of  your  associates  in  the  Christian  life,  and  if  you  believe  one  to  be 
heretical  in  doctrine,  and  a  Church  to  be  out  of  order  in  its  movements, 
you  have  a  right  as  independent  churches  to  call  an  associated  council 

-^  336  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

of  the  same  and  then  cite  the  offender  before  the  ecclesiastical  court 
and  try  the  case.  But  not  a  man  here  present  has  the  slightest  creden- 
tial to  show  that  he  comes  hither  to  represent  any  Baptist  organization 
whatever.  As  a  ministerial  conference  you  have  not  the  slightest  legal 
basis  or  ecclesiastical  authority,  and  for  you  to  take  up  an  independent 
church  in  your  discussion,  and  without  notifying  it  of  the  trial  you 
have  instituted,  proceed  to  condemn  the  same  unheard,  is  a  piece  of 
stupendous  impertinence  which  I  did  not  think  you  capable  of  perpe- 
trating. To  speak  back  in  words  recriminating  is  no  part  of  my  pur- 
pose, believing  sincerely  with  St.  Francis  de  Sales  that  I  would  give 
twenty  serpents  for  one  dove." 

Dr.  Magoon  tlien  knelt  and  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer,  after  which 
he  stepped  off  the  platform,  saying,  as  he  retired  from  the  hall,  "  Dear 
brethren,  I  wish  you  all  a  very,  very  happy  New  Year." 

The  correspondence  which  took  place  between  Mr.  Giles  and  Dr. 
Magoon  follows: 

From  Dr.  E.  L.  Magoon.  to  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  4,  1879. 
Dear  Fellow  Sinner:  If  you  wish,  my  pulpit  is  at  your  command 
for  next  Sunday  night  to  teach  any  truth  you  may  honestly  believe. 

Yours  fraternally, 

E.  L.  Magoon. 

From  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles  to  Dr.  E.  L.  Magoon 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  5,  1879. 
The  friendly  offer  of  the  use  of  your  church  for  next  Sunday  evening 
was  duly  laid  before  our  church  committee  and  was  unanimously  ac- 
cepted by  them  with  many  thanks  for  your  kindness.  Hoping  the  cour- 
tesy extended  to  us  may  strengtlien  the  bonds  of  human  brotherhood, 
and  that  the  truths  taught  may  promote  the  cause  of  genuine  Christian- 
ity, I  remain. 

Yours  in  the  bonds  of  Trutii, 

Chauncey  Giles. 
-4  337  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

November  25,  1879. 

Dear  Brother  Giles:  Your  kimi  favor  of  the  19th  inst.  came  duly 
to  hand. 

The  document  to  "  Broad  Street  Baptist  Church "  was  read  to  the 
congregation  last  Sunday  evening  and  entered  on  the  church  records 
last  niglit. 

Dear  Brother,  your  own  generous  intuition  told  you  at  once  the 
motive  that  led  me  to  your  side,  and  will  keep  us  very  near  each  other 
to  share  serenely  the  bitterness  of  bigoted  abuse. 

Our  names  are  coupled  and  commended  by  generous  natures  all  over 
the  land.  Greetings  come  from  strangers,  widely  differenced  as  to 
dogma,  but  unified  by  what  is  deepest  in  redeemed  humanity  and  friend- 
ship inspired  by  our  dear  Lord. 

Yours  in  a  common  service, 

E.  L.  Magoon. 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  13,  1879. 
Dear  Brother  Giles:  It  was  my  full  purpose  to  attend  at  least  one 
of  your  lectures,  but  am  prevented. 

Yesterday  was  occupied  in  New  York,  getting  a  permit  to  pass  on 
the  dead  body  of  my  grandchild. 

Must  go  Monday  to  Vermont  to  bury  it. 

Yours  in  mutual  infamy, 

Magoon. 

From  Dr.  Magoon  to  a  Friend 

December  24. 

Christian  courtesy  was  extended  to  Chauncey  Giles  for  two  reasons. 
First,  every  man  who  does  not  cripple  others  has  a  right  to  his  own  free- 
dom of  thought  and  utterance.  Second,  personal  conviction  leads  me 
especially  to  favor  the  most  open  consideration  of  Swedenborg's  belief. 
Ten  years  ago  I  began  to  get  quit  of  the  "  Death's  head  and  marrow- 
bones Theology,"  and  the  universe  of  the  dear  Lord  brightens  more  and 
more  every  day. 

Early  in  January,  1880,  Mr.  Giles  received  the  following  letter  from 
Dr.  Magoon.    It  closes  the  correspondence  between  the  two  clergymen. 

-^  338  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

As  an  instance  of  cooperative  Christianity  irrespective  of  creed  it  is 
well  worthy  of  preservation. 

Thanks  for  your  kind  letter  this  morning  received.  When  you  write 
Dr.  Bayley  please  thank  him  for  the  lesson  of  good  nature  I  took  from 
his  example  at  Brighton,  when  badgered  by  the  bigots  there.  If  he  will 
"  come  over  "  he  shall  be  "  heretic  "  No.  2  in  my  pulpit. 

As  it  is,  letters  from  the  first  people,  near  and  remote,  prove  that  you 
and  your  "  Fellow  Sinner  "  are  more  loved  than  ever.  Is  not  tliat  better 
for  us,  and  for  the  dear  Lord's  kingdom,  than  any  polemic  triumph? 

Thanks  to  Providence  for  personal  acquaintance  and  cooperative 
faith. 

Dr.  Magoon's  generous  Christianity,  and  the  publicity  brought  to 
the  church  through  mention  of  the  incident  by  the  newspapers,  were  of 
inestimable  value  in  drawing  the  attention  of  Philadelphians  to  the  New 
Church  and  her  doctrines.  For  eleven  weeks  of  that  winter  Mr.  Giles 
spoke  to  crowded  houses.  The  general  topic  of  the  first  series  of 
discourses  was  tlie  "  Garden  of  Eden,"  with  subdivisions  on  the  "  Origin 
of  Evil,"  etc. 

The  second  series  began  with  the  sermon  "  Wlio  Was  Jesus  Christ?  " 
followed  by  "  How  Does  He  Save  Men?  "  "  The  Death  of  Christ,"  and 
"The  Blood  of  Christ." 

Mr.  Giles  writes  : 

The  trustees  have  placed  seats  on  hinges  at  the  end  of  every  slip, 
which  gives  us  about  sixty  more  sittings.  These  were  mostly  occupied 
this  morning. 

The  society  has  commenced  publishing  my  sermons  every  week. 
The  sermon  I  preached  two  weeks  ago,  "  Who  Was  Jesus  Christ?  "  was 
distributed  after  service  last  Sunday.  Seven  hundred  and  seventy-five 
copies  were  taken,  and  since  then  many  more  have  been  called  for,  so 
that  more  llian  a  tliousand  have  been  distributed.  Eight  hundred  were 
taken  to-day  and  there  were  many  calls,  which  could  not  be  met,  for  the 
first  sermon.  Tliere  seems  to  be  a  very  lively  interest  in  tlie  work. 
The  young  men  who  act  as  librarians  are  kept  very  busy  before  and 
after  service,  giving  out  and  receiving  books.  Some  persons  who  can- 
not come  to  church  send  by  others  for  the  sermons.     So  you  see  I  am 

-4  339  }^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

having  a  large  audience,  and  il  does  my  soul  good  to  know  that  the 
Lord  has  given  me  power  to  feed  many  hungry  souls. 

We  have  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  towards  a  new  church, 
which  I  hope  to  see  erected  before  1882. 

We  have  really  put  into  circulation  over  six  hundred  thousand  pages 
of  matter  relating  to  tlie  New  Church.  I  think  the  people  are  united 
and  working  together  more  harmoniously  than  ever  before. 

I  presume  the  interest  will  in  some  measure  subside,  but  if  we  had 
a  church  which  would  hold  a  thousand  people  now,  it  would  be  filled 
every  Sujiday.  It  is  delightful  to  see  such  a  manifestation  of  interest 
in  our  doctrines.  It  cheers  and  strengthens  one  for  more  work.  1  hope 
I  may  be  able  to  do  it.  But  if  1  am  not  some  one  else  will  take  my 
place  and  carry  it  on.  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  it.  I  am  sure 
I  have  done  nothing  specially.  I  expect  every  day  to  see  the  crowd 
diminish;  but  instead  of  that  there  seems  to  be  a  growing  interest.  The 
audience  is  also  an  intelligent  one.  The  attention  is  profound,  and 
we  see  the  same  faces  Sunday  after  Sunday.  So  I  hope  there  may  be  a 
permanent  interest.  I  have  always  felt  that  diere  were  many  people  who 
would  rejoice  in  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  if  they  could  get  access 
to  them.    I  only  wish  I  could  do  more  to  help  those  who  need  help. 

If  the  pressure  continues  they  must  seriously  take  into  consideration 

the  subject  of  building  a  new  church.     I  told  Mr.  L as  I  came  out 

of  church  that  I  was  afraid  I  was  getting  the  society  into  difficulties. 
"  Yes,"  he  said,  laughing,  "  you  are  trying  your  best  every  Sunday  to 
do  it.  Well,"  he  said,  "we  will  meet  the  difficulty  with  as  much  for- 
titude and  equanimity  as  possible."  I  should  dread  such  a  movement 
because  I  am  old  and  it  would  entail  so  much  labor  upon  me,  and  yet 
I  would  be  glad  to  see  it. 

April  7,  1880.  The  trustees  are  going  to  meet  to-night  with  the 
church  committee  to  discuss  the  subject  of  providing  a  new  house  of 
worship,  and  I  have  some  hope  that  something  will  be  done. 

Well,  it  is  pleasant  to  see  a  society  which  has  been  noted  for  its  dis- 
sensions waking  up  and  working  together  so  harmoniously.  I  am  sure 
I  do  not  know  how  it  has  been  done.  It  seems  to  have  done  itself, 
somehow. 

~4  340  }3e- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

The  Convention  of  1880  met  in  Portland.  The  subject  of  the  Presi- 
dent's Address  was  "  Spiritual  Union."  By  vote  of  Convention  two 
thousand  extra  copies  were  printed  and  distributed  throughout  the 
United  States  and  Canada. 

In  July  of  this  year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  again  went  abroad.  They 
landed  in  Liverpool.  After  a  short  visit  to  a  friend  in  the  suburbs 
of  Liverpool  they  went  to  Manchester  for  over  Sunday  and  a  few  days 
following.  Mr.  Giles  preached  and  they  attended  the  dedication  of  a 
church  at  Radcliffe.  Dr.  Bayley  of  London  was  present.  From  Man- 
chester they  went  to  Birmingham.  The  event  of  their  stay  there  was  the 
celebration  of  the  centenary  of  the  Sunday  school.  This  occurred  on 
August  5th.    Mrs.  Giles  says: 

On  that  day  after  dinner  everybody  took  naps,  to  be  ready  for  the 
evening  celebration,  —  some  on  sofas,  some  in  easy  chairs  —  gentlemen 
upstairs. 

When  the  time  arrived  every  one  met  in  tlie  lower  rooms  of  the  school- 
house  for  tea  and  afterwards  went  upstairs  for  the  celebration  itself. 
The  room  was  decorated  with  flowers,  many  fuchsias  in  pots,  also  ferns. 
Everything  looked  fresh  and  pretty.  There  were  speeches  and  music. 
Mr.  Rogers  was  pleased  to  say  the  meeting  was  twofold:  first,  to  give 
a  welcome  to  their  friend  and  brother  from  America,  also  to  commem- 
orate tlie  establishment  of  Sunday  schools.  Of  course  he  rather  got  the 
cart  before  the  horse,  but  such  polite  fictions  are  well  understood. 

Mr.  Giles  was  awarded  the  honor  of  presenting  the  commemorative 
medals  to  the  teachers  and  officers  of  the  school  and  also  to  Mr.  Rogers, 
the  pastor  of  the  society.  Everything  passed  off  pleasantly.  I  had 
almost  forgotten  to  say  that  two  pictures,  one  of  Raikes'  house  and  the 
other  of  the  house  in  which  the  first  Sunday  school  was  opened,  were 
passed  from  seat  to  seat  in  the  audience  room,  that  we  might  see  them. 
Mr.  Rabone  gave  us  two  copies  of  the  same,  which  we  shall  value  very 
highly. 

In  our  country  our  Sunday  schools  are  composed  in  tlie  main  of  the 
children  whose  parents  attend  church.  In  England  tlie  establishment 
of  such  schools  was  a  movement  to  give  to  those  who  could  not  afford  it. 
an  education.  At  that  time  they  had  not  the  Board  schools,  which  now 
arc  in  operation  all  over  the  countr>-. 

-■€■{  341  ^•~ 


THE   LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

In  the  yt'ar  1780  a  printer  named  Robert  Raikes  was  walking  one 
Sunday  about  the  narrow  streets  of  Gloucester.  He  became  impressed 
with  the  many  children  running;  wild  in  the  streets  and  was  much  con- 
cerned to  improve  their  condition.  He  induced  the  teachers  of  several 
dame-schools  to  take  the  children  in  and  instruct  them  in  the  ordinary 
rudiments  of  education  with  additional  teaching  from  the  Bible. 

From  this  beginning  the  movement  spread  and  Sunday  schools  were 
established  throughout  England,  at  first  amongst  the  poor  only. 

.\s  every  day  educational  privileges  increased,  the  demand  for  secu- 
lar teaching  on  the  Sabbath  diminished  and  instruction  became  more 
distinctly  religious.  The  teachers,  no  longer  paid  for  their  services, 
were  volunteers  who  engaged  in  the  work  for  the  love  of  it. 

This  was  the  beginning,  and  from  this  nucleus  have  grown  all  the 
Sunday  schools  of  the  world. 

The  New  Church  people  who  were  pioneers  in  this  work  would  build 
a  schoolhouse  for  week-day  instruction  which  would  also  become  a 
place  of  worship.  "  The  children  of  the  neighborhood  would  then  be 
gathered  in  and  taught,  and  would  thus  come  under  the  influence  of 
New  Church  people,  and  incidentally,  if  not  directly,  learn  New  Church 
truths.  Quite  naturally  the  children  are  disposed  to  come  to  religious 
meetings  and  bring  their  parents.  In  this  way  the  schools  are  an  im- 
portant instrument  in  building  up  the  church." 

From  Binningham  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  went  to  London.  Here  Mr. 
Giles  preached  for  Mr.  Tafel,  and  in  the  evening  at  the  Argyle  Square 
Church.  The  London  visit  was  followed  by  one  to  Liverpool.  Here  the 
English  Conference  met.  They  very  much  enjoyed  the  proceedings.  In 
the  evening  there  was  a  discussion  on  the  "  Relation  of  Religion  and 
Science."  The  Conference  lasted  two  days.  They  were  invited  to  a 
grand  supper  at  one  house.  There  were  many  toasts,  speeches,  etc. 
While  there  they  learned  that  similar  feasts  were  going  on  all  over  the 
city.  The  Liverpool  clergyman  was  invited  to  all  of  them,  and  drove 
from  one  house  to  another  in  the  evening. 

From  Liverpool  they  went  to  Southport.  Here  they  made  a  brief 
visit  and  Mr.  Giles  lectured.  On  the  next  day  a  social  gathering  was 
planned,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  thought  best  to  forego  the  pleasure 
and  return  to  Liverpool  and  thence  to  London.  Here,  after  re-packing, 
they  left  for  Hanvich.  They  sailed  for  Antwerp  in  what  Mrs.  Giles 
called  "  the  poorest  specimen  of  a  steamer  it  was  ever  my  ill  luck  to 
take.  We  did  live  through  the  night  and  found  each  other  in  the  morn- 
ing and  compared  miseries." 

-'■^  342  }3e— 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    AUG.    1879-SEPT.    1880 

On  their  arrival  they  went  from  Rotterdam  to  Amsterdam.  After  see- 
ing the  usual  sights  there  they  went  to  the  Hague. 

Their  next  objective  was  Antwerp.    Thence  they  went  to  Cologne. 

From  Cologne  their  itinerary  included  Coblentz,  a  trip  on  the  Rhine 
to  Bingen,  and  thence  to  Homburg.  From  here  they  took  an  excursion 
to  Frankfort,  in  which  place  they  much  enjoyed  a  visit  with  Mr.  Mitt- 
nacht's  family. 

After  a  short  stay  in  Brussels  they  went  to  Antwerp,  whence  they 
sailed  for  home.  They  arrived  in  Philadelphia  October  8th.  Father 
remarks  that  "  It  was  rather  desolate  coming  into  the  house  which  had 
been  closed  so  long,  with  no  help,  and  nothing  but  dust  and  insect 
powder  to  greet  us." 


■-4  343  }3— 


E 


CHAPTER   XVI 
Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1881-1886 


ARLY  in  January,  1881,  Mr.  Giles  notes  the  encouraging  fact  that 
for  the  first  time  in  its  existence  the  Philadelphia  Society  was  out  of 
debt. 

During  this  year  the  sermons  on  the  "  Garden  of  Eden  "  were  pub- 
lished, and  also  tlie  "Valley  of  Diamonds."  The  latter  book  was 
printed  in  England.  An  accident  occurred  to  the  steamer  which  brought 
it  to  this  country,  and  the  delay  thus  incurred  spoiled  the  Christmas 
sale. 

In  May  a  lot  for  the  new  church,  on  the  comer  of  Chestnut  and 
Twenty-second  streets,  was  purchased.  The  work  was  pursued  with 
vigor,  and  in  November  the  comer-stone  was  laid.  Mr.  Giles  comments 
on  the  ceremony  as  follows: 

It  was  a  bright  but  cold  and  blustering  day,  altogether  too  cold  for 
enjoyment,  but  there  was  a  good  number  of  people  present.  I  handled 
the  trowel,  so  the  masons  said,  almost  like  an  expert.  I  believe  I  have 
been  commended  more  highly  for  the  manner  in  which  I  laid  on  the 
mortar  than  for  any  sermon  I  have  preached.  I  suggested  to  the  masons 
that  if  they  were  short  of  hands  at  any  time  to  call  upon  me. 

From  time  to  time  the  letters  note  with  quiet  enjoyment  the  prog- 
ress of  building,  but  Mr.  Giles's  deepest  satisfaction  came  in  "  the 
entire  unanimity  in  which  every  step  concerning  it  was  taken  by  the 
society."  In  1882  the  old  church  was  sold  to  a  Unitarian  society  and 
the  building  was  used  jointly  by  the  New  Church  people  and  the  Uni- 
tarians until  the  new  temple  for  the  former  was  ready.  The  edifice  was 
completed  in  the  early  spring  of  1883  and  the  dedication  service  took 
place  on  March  11th.  As  the  time  approached  it  occupied  more  and 
more  of  Mr.  Giles's  thoughts.  Letters  on  die  subject  to  and  from  vari- 
ous people  follow.    In  his  letter  of  invitation  to  Mr.  Meday,  he  says: 

We  can  promise  you  a  cordial  welcome  and  you  may  see  what  a 
small  body  of  earnest  and  united  New  Churchmen  can  accomplish,  in 

-^  344  ^.- 


o 

is 


<  -i 

'S  :5 

•y.  ^r 

=  I 


—  ^^ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

one  direction  at  least.  We  can  show  you  a  handsome  church  and  the 
handsomest  Sunday  school  building  you  ever  saw,  and  what  is  much 
better,  some  live  New  Churchmen. 

I  diink  we  have  performed  a  much  greater  use  than  we  should  have 
done  if  we  had  carried  on  the  most  interesting  quarrel  with  one  another 
or  with  any  one  else. 

February  8th,  1883,  he  writes: 

The  completion  of  this  church  and  the  Sunday  School  building  and 
their  dedication  to  the  Lord  will  be  in  one  way  the  crowning  success 
of  my  life.  I  do  not  know  of  any  one  who  thought  it  to  be  possible  when 
I  came  here.  I  do  not  think  any  one  even  dreamed  of  it,  but  there  they 
stand,  an  ornament  to  tlie  city  and  a  beautiful  and  convenient  home  for 
our  society.  This  has  been  accomplished  without  any  contention  or 
difference  of  opinion  which  has  caused  any  ill  feeling.  I  doubt  whether 
a  church  was  ever  erected  with  so  much  unanimity  and  with  so  little 
effort  to  carry  any  special  plan  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  others. 
We  have  been  highly  favored  in  almost  every  respect,  but  you  can 
easily  see  that  there  must  have  been  some  wise  direction. 

We  have  invited  Mr.  Reed  to  deliver  the  discourse  at  the  dedication, 
and  there  will  be  other  ministers  to  take  part  in  the  service.  How 
many  we  can  get  I  do  not  know,  but  I  should  like  to  have  all  my  chil- 
dren here,  if  posssible.  I  do  not  know  of  a  better  time,  and  I  doubt 
whether  they  will  ever  be  able  to  all  meet  again. 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Eliza  J.  Chandler 

Brookline,  February  21,  1883. 
Many  thanks  for  your  kind  invitation  to  the  dedication  of  our  New 
Church  in  Philadelphia.     I  accept  this  invitation  willi  threat  pleasure, 
and  shall  be  with  you  in  spirit  if  not  in  body. 

I  well  remember  the  dedication  of  the  small  church  in  Twelfth  Street, 
when  Mr.  Hargrove  ordained  Mr.  Carll  to  be  our  minister.  New  Year's 
morning,  1817.  In  a  letter  of  my  father's,  written  March  1  Ttli,  1817. 
a  copy  of  which  I  have,  he  says: 

-<i  345  )ai- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

'■  It  alTords  me  great  consolation  to  inform  you  we  go  on  in  peace 
and  harmony,  increasing  in  number,  and  our  Temple  is  so  crowded  in 
the  afternoon  that  many  are  obliged  to  go  away.  If  I  could  have  fore- 
seen this  circumstance  I  certainly  would  have  made  the  Temple  larger, 
but  reallv  I  feared  we  should  not  be  sufficient  to  fill  the  house,  and  you 
know  a  large  place  of  worshij)  and  a  »mn\\  congregation  have  a  dis- 
couraging appearance  and  effect  on  the  members  as  well  as  on  the 
strangers  who  attend,  but  the  Lord  will  provide  another  Temple  if  neces- 
sary, and  perhaps  the  circumstance  of  our  being  so  crowded  and  not 
having  room  for  all  that  wish  to  come  may  be  the  very  cause  of  induc- 
ing many  to  be  more  anxious  to  come  and  read  tlie  books.  If  a  larger 
house  had  been  necessary,  I  doubt  if  the  Lord  in  His  wise  providence 
would  not  have  instigated  me  to  have  built  it  at  the  time,  for  I  am 
convinced  He  governs  and  regulates  the  concerns  of  our  little  society 
in  a  wonderful  and  hidden  manner  or  it  would  not  go  on  with  harmony 
and  peace." 

The  Lord  now  has  provided  another  Temple  and  I  am  pleased  that 
my  son  Tlieophilus  was  chosen  to  be  the  architect.  He  has  expressed 
great  pleasure  in  constructing  this  building  and  I  am  very  thankful  that 
his  design  and  work  have  given  satisfaction.  Dear  Mr.  Giles,  chosen 
and  faithful  servant  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  may  He  fill  you  with  His 
Holy  Spirit  and  His  tender  love,  that  you  may  be  able  to  send  forth 
the  doctrines  and  truths  of  His  holy  Word  throughout  this  large  and 
beautiful  countrj-,  and  may  His  blessing  return  upon  you  and  fill  you 
with  peace.    Kind  remembrances  to  Mrs.  Giles. 

Written  from  our  old,  sweet  home  in  Brookline,  surrounded  by  a 
happy  family,  of  husband,  six  grown  children  and  two  grandchildren. 
I  am  one  of  the  few  left  who  worshipped  in  die  little  Temple  at  the 
comer  of  Twelfth  and  George  Streets,  Philadelphia. 

The  dedication  of  the  new  church  took  place  on  March  11th,  1883. 
There  was  a  full  and  beautiful  service,  in  which  Mr.  Giles  was  assisted 
by  Rev.  James  Reed  of  Boston.  There  was  also  an  evening  service  in 
which  Rev.  J.  B.  Parmelee  of  Wilmington.  Rev.  S.  M.  Warren  of  Bos- 
ton, and  Rev.  C.  H.  Mann  participated  with  the  pastor.  The  music  for 
botli  morning  and  evening  was  fine  and  both  services  were  very  im- 

-^  346  ^~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

pressive.     As  my  father  had  hoped,  all  of  his  children  were  present 
on  the  occasion. 

April  7th,  1883,  he  writes: 

I  feel  very  grateful  and  happy  and  liuinble.  I  do  not  see  how  it  has 
been  done.  It  does  not  seem  as  though  I  had  had  anything  to  do  with 
it,  but  I  suppose  I  have;  I  feel  constantly  like  saying,  "This  is  the  Lord's 
doing,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes."  If  I  can  only  continue  to  do 
my  part  well  I  shall  be  still  more  thankful.  Several  persons  have  said 
to  me,  "  I  should  think  you  would  be  proud  of  your  success,"  but  I  am 
not.     It  isn't  my  success. 

To  return  to  1881.  In  June  of  that  year  Mr.  Giles  wrote  one  of  his 
letters  of  encouragement  to  Mme.  Humann.     He  says: 

Visible  success  is  very  cheering,  and  it  requires  much  courage  and 
faith  to  work  on  in  the  face  of  difficulties  without  much  apparent  prog- 
ress. I  think  the  hardest  thing  to  bear  is  the  indifference  of  others 
who  profess  to  have  some  interest  in  our  work.  How  much  of  that  you 
have  to  try  you!  Those  who  ought  to  sustain  you  with  money  and  sym- 
pathy, and  good,  faithful  work,  hold  back  and  are  quite  willing  to  let 
you  do  the  work  and  bear  the  expense  of  it.  I  saw  that  when  I  was  in 
Paris.  It  is  disheartening,  but  it  shows  how  necessarj'  it  is  to  have 
some  one  who  will  go  forward  and  sustain  the  work  and  who  is  not 
afraid  to  have  it  known  that  he  is  a  New  Churchman.  You  are  a  provi- 
dential woman,  and  in  my  judgment  are  doing  the  most  important  work 
that  is  going  on  in  your  country  to-day. 

I  like  the  idea  of  editing  a  paper.  The  press  is  the  most  economical 
instrument  for  diffusing  knowledge  at  present.  You  can  reach  many 
minds  in  that  way  to  which  you  could  not  get  personal  access. 

I  think  your  idea  of  a  house  with  a  chapel  connected  with  it  a  very 
good  one,  and  1  hope  you  will  be  able  to  carry  it  into  effect,  and  1  think 
you  will  in  good  time. 

If  you  can  form  a  ])rinting  society  do  so.  Even  if  it  is  very  small 
at  the  beginning  it  will  grow,  and  societies  often  live  when  persons  die. 
If  you  do  form  a  society,  I  should  insist  upon  all  the  members  bearing 
tlie  expense  of  it.     It  is  better  lor  them  to  do  it. 

-4  347  ^~ 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

Tlie  summer  of  this  year  was  spent  at  Lake  George,  tlie  first  of  many- 
happy  seasons  to  follow  it. 

Early  in  llie  year  1882  Mr.  Giles  suffered  from  bronehitis.  Tlie 
attack  lasted  for  several  weeks,  and  he  was  thereby  forced  to  a  period 
of  inactivity  which  he  found  quite  irksome. 

In  the  spring  his  lease  of  the  house  3609  Hamilton  Street  was  re- 
linquished for  a  consideration  to  a  purchaser.  The  furniture  was 
stored;  Mrs.  Giles  went  to  visit  her  children  in  New  York  and  Mr.  Giles 
and  his  sons  boarded  in  Philadelphia.  Meanwhile  an  opportunity  oc- 
curred to  buy  a  very  comfortable  homelike  house  at  3502  Hamilton 
Street.  Through  the  kindness  of  friends  arrangements  were  made 
which  enabled  Mr.  Giles  to  buy  tlie  house.  For  the  first  time  in  his 
life  my  father  owned  a  home  of  his  very  own.  This  fact  was  a  constant 
source  of  gratitude.  I  have  heard  my  mother  say  that  it  was  the  only 
material  blessing  for  which  he  ever  prayed.  The  home  was  a  comfort 
to  them  both  in  their  declining  years  and  a  blessing  most  deeply 
appreciated. 

Tlie  kind  friend  or  friends  —  identification  has  always  remained 
a  mystery  —  who  so  repeatedly  made  it  possible  for  Mr.  Giles  to  go  to 
Europe  again  offered,  through  the  steamship  company,  passage  for 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  to  go  abroad.  They  accepted  the  offer  at  first,  but 
eventually  decided  to  remain  in  this  country  and  spend  a  few  weeks  of 
tlie  summer  at  the  seashore. 

The  annual  meeting  of  Convention  is  always  the  most  important 
event  of  the  church  year.  As  president  of  that  body  Mr.  Giles  deeply 
felt  his  responsibilities.  The  beautiful  letter  which  is  in  part  herewith 
given,  from  Mr.  Benjamin  Worcester,  must  have  been  very  encourag- 
ing, the  principles  herein  stated  were  so  fully  in  accord  with  those  of 
my  father. 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Benjamin  Worcester 

Waltham,  Mass.,  May  14,  1882. 
For  the  last  few  months  my  thoughts  have  been  very  much  with  the 
Convention  and  its  ministry.  I  am  anxious  that  our  Convention  should 
be  gaining  more  and  more  of  the  respect  due  to  it  from  all  its  compo- 
nent members,  and  I  tliink  it  our  duty,  each  as  he  can,  to  strengthen 
your  hands  as  its  present  head.  With  this  purpose,  please  allow  me  to 
express  to  you  what  it  seems  to  me  we  are  to  look  for  at  your  hands, 

-^  348  }Se-=- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

believing  that  the  better  you  know  all  our  wants  the  more  grace  will 
be  given  you  to  answer  them. 

It  is  too  much  the  fashion  in  our  associations  to  regard  the  Con- 
vention or  its  meetings  as  a  congress  in  which  to  scramble  for  what 
our  respective  sections  most  want.  The  reverse  should  be  the  case. 
We  should  go  to  Convention  as  the  Jews  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  with 
our  best  offerings  in  our  hands,  to  lay  them  together  before  the  Lord, 
to  receive  His  blessing  upon  them,  and  to  accept  what  is  bestowed  upon 
us  from  Him.  We  should  go  with  love  for  Him  and  for  the  whole  of 
His  Church  uppermost  in  mind  and  with  the  desire  to  submit  our  own 
ways  to  Him  and  our  special  good  to  die  good  of  the  whole. 

In  doing  tliis,  it  seems  to  me,  our  hearts  will  be  lifted  up  nearer  to 
the  Lord  and  into  association  with  angels  who  behold  His  face,  and  we 
shall  receive  interior  blessings  that  will  hallow  the  whole  year.  I  am 
sure  that  many  in  times  past  have  gone  to  Convention  with  this  feeling 
and  have  received  this  blessing.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  at  times  other 
feelings  expressed.  I  know  that  at  tliis  very  coming  Convention  a  divi- 
sion on  important  subjects  is  expected  and  more  or  less  strife.  Differ- 
ence of  opinion  cannot  but  be  met.  Yet  it  will  subside  and  leave  no 
scar  if  love  for  the  good  of  all  and  desire  to  submit  to  the  judgment 
of  the  whole  shall  only  be  kepi  uppermost  in  the  heart. 

What  now  can  we  ask  of  our  president  in  this  behalf?  When  all 
were  assembled  at  Jerusalem  it  was  Aaron's  office  to  bear  the  names 
of  the  tribes  on  his  breast,  and  to  go  into  the  Holy  of  Holies  before  the 
Lord,  to  lay  the  blood  of  their  sin  offering  on  the  mercy  seat.  We  can 
ask  nothing  more  of  our  president  than  that  he  should,  widi  full  con- 
sciousness of  the  forwardness  of  our  hearts,  acknowledge  our  sins  and 
lay  our  offerings  before  the  Lord,  and  pray  with  all  the  strength  that  is 
given  him  in  our  behalf.  So  far  as  he  is  enabled  to  do  this  we  shall 
see  his  face  to  shine  with  the  light  reflected  from  angel  faces,  words  of 
the  Lord's  love  and  peace  will  fall  from  his  lips,  and  he  will  guide 
our  deliberations  with  the  gentle  steadiness  of  liis  shepherd's  crook. 

Please  let  this  humble  prayer  of  mine,  in  behalf,  I  hope,  of  many, 
serve  to  offset  suggestions  that  may  come  to  you  from  other  quarters, 
of  battles  to  be  fought  and  stem  rulings  required. 

~4  349  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  dedication  of  tlie  new  church  of  tlie  Chicago  Society  was  the 
most  important  event  during  Convention.  This  Mr.  Giles  mentions  in 
his  diar)',  and  he  also  makes  some  comments  on  what  should  be  the 
ruling  motive  of  ministers  in  their  work. 

]une  4,  1882.  It  was  a  memorable  day  for  the  people  of  Chicago. 
They  have  been  burned  out  and  scattered  and  divided,  and  now,  after 
some  years,  are  gathered  together  again.  I  hope  the  Church  will  grow 
strong  and  flourish.  The  house  they  have  erected  is  a  very  pleasant 
one,  though  there  are  many  things  in  it  wliich  would  not  or  do  not 
suit  me. 

June  5,  1882.  A  plan  for  the  reorganization  of  the  ministry  was 
adopted,  of  which  some  of  the  ministry  have  great  hopes.  I  cannot 
see  much  difference  between  it  and  the  old  order. 

There  are  some  ministers  who  are  constantly  striving  for  a  low  kind 
of  power,  —  the  power  of  votes  and  office.  They  desire  to  rule  as  poli- 
ticians rule.  Surely  tliere  must  be  a  new  kind,  a  higher  order  of  power 
in  the  Church.  We  must  seek  the  power  which  comes  from  love  by 
truth.  .  .  . 

I  am  not  a  favorite  with  the  ministers.  Some  of  them  pretend  to 
regard  me  with  contempt  as  a  shallow  man  with  very  little  knowledge 
of  the  doctrines.  Well,  I  have  not  a  great  amount  of  knowledge  of  them 
and  have  never  claimed  to  have,  but  I  try  to  make  some  use  of  what  I 
have. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  my  father  speaks  of  the  controlling  motives 
which  he  thought  should  actuate  both  minister  and  congregation: 

It  is  an  entire  mistake  that  ministers  are  to  rule  in  an  arbitrary  way 
or  are  invested  with  any  authority  over  their  societies.  They  ought 
to  be  able  to  lead,  but  instead  of  going  before  the  flock  and  leading 
them  in  freedom  by  means  of  the  truth  some  go  behind  and  drive  them. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  people  are  willing  to  accord  all  due  respect  and 
obedience  to  ministers,  often  more  than  diey  deserve,  but  the  minister 
and  people  are  brethren  and  there  should  be  mutual  counsel  and  aid 
and  real  sympathy  with  one  another.     It  seems  a  little  strange,  but 

-^  350  }§«•- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

many  of  the  brightest  minds  in  the  New  Church  have  greatly  weakened 
or  wholly  destroyed  their  influence  by  the  love  of  power. 

In  midwinter  of  1882-83  Mr.  Giles  fell  on  a  slippery  pavement  and 
fractured  a  rib.     He  says: 

The  people  have  been  very  earnest  in  their  inquiries  about  me  and 
kind  in  attention  to  my  comfort  and  wants.  They  have  sent  me  flowers 
and  fruits  and  jellies  and  other  eatables  sufficient  to  give  me  dyspepsia 
for  a  year.  If  I  should  eat  them  all  the  consequences  would  be  worse 
than  a  broken  rib. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  have  Lucy  with  us.  It  seems  as  though  there 
were  many  good  things  in  broken  ribs. 

I  can  see  that  it  is  going  to  be  useful  to  me.  It  will  be  a  rest  from 
brain  work  and  it  will  give  me  time  to  think  quietly  and  a  little  more 
excursively.  I  can  go  outside  the  lines  of  a  sermon  and  a  lecture  and 
take  a  wider  and  I  hope  a  wiser  view.  I  am  almost  overwhelmed  with 
the  goodness  and  mercy  of  the  Lord.  I  have  often  been  impressed  with 
the  constant  repetition  of  the  words  "  by  the  Divine  mercy  of  the  Lord  " 
in  Swedenborg's  writings.  We  think  we  see  it  in  some  exceptional 
things,  but  we  are  too  apt  to  overlook  it  in  the  constant  and  customary 
things.  But  "  His  mercy  is  forever."  Everything  that  is  good  and  beau- 
tiful has  its  origin  in  the  Lord  and  is  a  heavenly  force.  Swedenborg 
mentions  flowers  as  one  of  them,  and  I  think  I  have  enjoyed  the  many 
beautiful  flowers  that  have  been  sent  me  more  than  ever  as  a  form  and 
revelation  of  heavenly  purity  and  beauty. 

Notwithstanding  his  accident  he  managed  to  do  some  work,  as  we 
find  in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter: 

PniL.\DELPHiA,  January  12,  1883. 
I  am  going  on  in  the  same  olil  way.  Last  week  I  wrote  an  article  for 
an  encyclopaedia  of  religious  knowledge.  Tuesday  night  I  lectured 
before  the  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association.  It  was  a  stormy  night, 
but  I  had  a  full  house  and  excellent  attention.  The  subject  was  the 
"Wit  and  Wisdom  of  Children."  The  audience  was  greatly  amused, 
and  the  rabbi  and  some  leading  men  expressed  much  satisfaction  in 

--^  351  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

die  Icctuir.  Yesterday  I  look  die  title  page,  eontenls,  introduction, 
and  corrections  of  my  discourses  on  "Prayer"  to  the  printer.  They 
are  soon  to  be  issued  by  the  Lippincotts.  They  will  make  a  volume  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty  pages  ("Perfect  Prayer").  This  is  all  extra 
work,  so  you  see  I  am  not  idle. 

Extract  from  a  letter  to  Mr.  Meday: 

Your  kind  letter  came  with  many  other  voices  of  friends  from  afar 
to  comfort  and  cheer  me  in  hours  of  pain.  I  was  laid  on  the  shelf  for  a 
few  weeks  but  I  am  about  again  now,  —  not,  however,  in  my  full  vigor. 
I  preach  on  Sunday  and  can  do  some  writing,  but  at  my  age  fractured 
bones  and  ruptured  membranes  do  not  heal  as  rapidly  as  in  youth. 

It  is  as  impossible  for  a  society  to  grow  when  torn  by  dissensions  as  it 
is  for  the  human  body  when  its  bones  are  broken  and  its  muscles  are 
torn  to  pieces.  I  wonder  that  every  minister  cannot  see  a  fact  so  self- 
evident.  Perhaps  it  will  be  seen  more  clearly  when  the  ministers  and 
the  people  get  the  beam  of  self-love  out  of  their  eyes.  Well,  we  are 
poor  guides  at  the  best. 

I  hope  you  will  make  your  arrangements  to  attend  the  Convention 
this  year.  It  is  tlie  centennial  of  the  establishment  of  the  New  Church 
in  America. 

From  Philadelphia,  June  22,  1883,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  have  been  busy  in  one  way  or  another,  mainly  in  writing  an  article 
on  Swedenborg  for  Dr.  Schaff's  "Encyclopaedia  of  Religious  Knowl- 
edge." It  has  been  a  severe,  because  an  unusual,  task  for  me.  I  have 
only  one  or  two  more  things  to  do  in  a  literary  way  before  I  finish  my 
summer's  work. 

In  July  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  again  went  abroad,  sailing  directly  to 
Antwerp.  From  here  they  went  to  Aix-la-Chapelle  and  there  tried  the 
baths  so  famous  for  the  cure  of  rheumatism. 

On  their  arrival  at  Antwerp  they  found  a  letter  awaiting  diem  from 
Mme.  Humann.  The  little  church  in  Paris  was  nearly  completed  and 
she  wished  very  much  to  have  my  father  dedicate  it,  but  as  it  was  not 

-^  352  ^- 


[«A  ^ 


MR.    AM)    \IK>.    (,1LES 

. I  bout  1883 
Duriiiji  HhUadelphia  Pastorate 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

quite  in  readiness,  he  suggested  that  his  visit  to  Paris  be  postponed 
until  after  the  English  Conference.  This  was  agreed  upon,  so,  after 
a  short  trial  of  the  baths,  Mrs.  Giles  and  he  went  to  London. 

The  journey  to  England  consisted  of  a  series  of  misadventures  and 
minor  disagreeable  happenings.  There  were  many  delays  in  their 
railway  journey  across  Holland  and  the  Channel  crossing  was  rough 
in  the  extreme.  However,  they  were  met  by  kind  friends  in  Eng- 
land. There  was  time  for  a  day's  and  a  night's  rest  before  the  very 
busy  Sunday  when  Mr.  Giles  preached  morning  and  evening  for 
Dr.  Bayley. 

After  two  weeks  spent  in  London  he  writes  from  Birmingham: 

We  have  seen  more  of  London  and  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances than  ever  before,  and  the  more  we  see  of  it  the  more  we  are 
impressed  witli  its  size,  wealtli,  and  power. 

We  expected  to  have  been  in  Paris  long  before  this,  but  they  have 
met  with  great  delays  in  getting  their  church  ready  and  have  had  many 
obstacles  which  were  difficult  to  overcome.  There  has  been  a  long  and 
vexatious  lawsuit  about  the  land  on  which  the  church  is  erected.  This 
was  decided  only  a  few  days  ago,  and  fortunately  in  their  favor. 

We  have  many  invitations  to  visit  in  England  which  we  cannot  ac- 
cept. I  think  we  shall  return  to  London  in  a  few  days  and  remain  there 
for  a  time.  Then  we  can  visit  Mme.  Humann  at  Dieppe,  or  go  to  Paris, 
and  do  as  we  please  there.  I  do  not  care  to  travel  about  much.  We 
must  be  in  Antwerp  on  the  14th,  and  we  sail  on  the  15th,  only  two  weeks 
from  next  Saturday,  which  will  soon  come  around.  Your  mother  thinks 
I  am  much  better  than  when  I  left  home  and  I  think  she  is,  so  you  have 
two  good  witnesses  to  our  improved  health.  We  hope  to  come  home 
quite  strong  for  work.  I  preached  twice  yesterday  and  read  the  serv- 
ice, and  tiiough  weary  last  night,  I  feel  none  the  worse  for  it  tliis 
morning. 

In  spite  of  delays  and  disappointments,  the  littli'  duirch  in  Paris  was 
finally  ready,  and  my  father  was  at  hand  to  dedicate  it.  His  description 
of  the  event  follows: 

Mine.  Humann  and  her  husband  have  erected  a  ver>'  neat  liltle 
church  which  will  scat  two  hundred  people.     It  is  so  connected  with 

-■^  3.53  f>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

tlicir  dwelling  that  they  can  pass  into  it  from  the  liouse  and  from  the 
book  room,  which  is  one  room  in  the  house.  This  arrangement  will  be 
very  convenient  in  the  circulation  of  the  books  and  tracts. 

The  church  is  situated  in  tlie  Latin  Quarter.  It  is  near  the  Pantheon 
and  the  great  university.  They  hope  to  attract  the  attention  of  some 
of  the  students  and  professors,  but  they  have  many  difliculties  to  over- 
come, of  which  we  can  form  but  little  conception.  The  French  people 
are  under  the  domination  of  the  Catholic  spirit,  though  they  know  it 
not.  Some  of  their  leading  men  were  opposed  to  having  the  front  door 
of  the  church  open  on  the  day  it  was  dedicated,  for  fear  it  would  be 
too  public  and  attract  too  much  attention!  They  wanted  to  enter  it 
tlirough  Mme.  Humann's  house.  They  were  afraid  tliat  it  would  be 
known  that  they  were  New  Churchmen.  This  is  only  an  instance  of 
the  power  which  the  Catholic  Church  still  has  over  the  souls  of  those 
who  reject  her  doctrines.  There  are  some,  however,  who  have  in  a  great 
measure  become  emancipated.  I  baptized  a  very  pleasant  young  lady 
whose  mother,  a  widow,  is  a  Catholic  of  the  Jesuitic  order.  She  was, 
of  course,  violently  opposed  by  her  mother,  but  she  was  determined  to 
come  out  freely  for  the  New  Church  and  she  has  done  it,  but  it  must 
have  required  a  great  amount  ©f  courage.  Such  instances  encourage 
me  to  believe  that  the  New  Church  can  be  established  among  the  French 
people. 

Mr.  Presland  went  to  Paris  to  assist  in  the  dedication.  The  services 
were  very  simple.  I  read  tlie  service  and  M.  Humann  translated  it 
as  I  went  along.  He  did  the  same  with  my  address  and  with  Mr.  Pres- 
land's.  He  then  addressed  the  audience  in  French.  Two  hymns  were 
sung  very  well  by  Mme.  Humann  and  her  friend,  who  played  on  the 
melodeon. 

After  the  services  I  baptized  three  children  and  two  adults.  A 
Frenchman  whom  Mr.  B.  ordained,  but  who  does  not  dare  to  have  it 
known  even  to  New  Churchmen  generally,  read  the  preliminary  service 
in  French,  and  I  administered  the  sacrament.  This  was  done  after  the 
service  of  dedication.  Mme.  Humann's  litttle  boy  was  one  of  tlie  chil- 
dren I  baptized  and  the  two  Catholic  grandmothers  were  present. 
M.  Humann's  mother  came  to  me  just  before  the  service  and  said  the 

-'<i  354  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,   1881-1886 

Catholics  recognize  our  baptism,  but  she  had  looked  at  our  service  and 
she  tliought  we  did  not  say  "  Amen  "  after  it.  She  seemed  to  be  afraid 
that  that  would  invalidate  it  in  some  way,  but  I  told  her  I  would  say 
"  Amen "  after  the  service.  This  seemed  to  comfort  her.  Tlien  she 
wanted  to  know  if  I  baptized  them  witli  a  whisk.  When  a  number  of 
persons  are  to  be  baptized  the  Catholic  priests  sometimes  take  a  little 
whisk  broom  and,  dipping  it  in  the  water,  sprinkle  llie  candidates  and  so 
baptize  tliem  all  at  one  time.  "  You  know,"  she  said  with  some  con- 
cern, "  that  sometimes  the  water  might  not  go  onto  all  of  them."  I 
told  her  that  I  should  baptize  each  one  separately.  That  satisfied  her. 
The  administration  of  the  sacrament  was  witnessed  with  much  interest 
and  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression  upon  them  all. 

It  was  a  trying  day  to  me,  as  you  can  well  imagine.  I  felt  much  re- 
lieved when  it  was  over,  but  everything  went  off  very  smoothly. 

After  their  retuni  to  America  came  this  very  encouraging  news  from 
Paris: 

From  L.  Humann,  Bellevue,  Seine-et-Oise 

November  6,  1883. 

My  husband  continues  his  preaching  and  I  must  say  with  success. 
Every  Sunday  the  audiences  are  triple  what  tliey  used  to  be  in  our 
parlor.  Our  own  people  are  more  interested,  and  we  have  many 
strangers  who  come  in;  some  new  people  never  missed  a  Sunday  since 
you  were  here,  my  dear  Mr.  Giles.  Some  Protestant  ministers  are  get- 
ting interested;  in  fact,  things  look  more  hopeful  than  tliey  ever  did. 
Mr.  C.  was  saying  last  Sunday  that  this  public  worship  was  certainly  a 
great  step  for  the  New  Church  in  France  and  one  in  the  right  direction. 
He  says  he  will  try  to  help  my  husband  and  preach  sometimes. 

But  the  best  is  that  the  new  people  listen  with  such  interest.  Some- 
times you  could  hear  a  pin  drop.  It  seems  so  new  to  diem  and  yet  so 
sensible;  we  can  see  that.  My  husband  feels  the  influence  of  tliat  in- 
terest and  certainly  he  never  spoke  so  welL 

We  feel  so  grateful  to  you,  my  dear  Mr.  Giles,  for  all  you  have  done 
for  us.  If  it  had  not  been  for  you  we  coulil  never  have  met  as  we  are 
meeting  now.     And  the  suggestions  and  advice  you  gave  us  are  in- 

-<i  355  }■»  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY  GILES 

valuable.     The  people  of  the  church  in  France  were  going  on  a  wrong 
track  and  your  inspiration  set  them  right. 

Koncwed  in  vigor  by  his  vacation  abroad,  tlie  close  of  tlie  year 
brought  many  activities  to  Mr.  Giles.  Three  '"  literary  lectures  "  were 
given  on  successive  Tuesday  evenings,  and  he  preached  again  in  Dr. 
Magoon's  church  to  a  crowded  house. 

About  tliis  time  the  Philadelphia  Press  began  publishing  his  ser- 
mons in  full.    Of  this  my  father  said: 

I  tliink  the  publication  of  my  sermons  in  the  Press  will  have  a  good 
effect  upon  our  own  people  and  will  call  the  attention  of  the  public 
to  our  church.  They  will  also  tend  to  correct  many  misapprehensions 
about  the  New  Church  and  I  hope  remove  some  prejudices.  So  far  as 
any  influence  upon  the  community  was  concerned,  our  church  seemed 
to  be  dead  and  buried,  out  of  sight,  and  forgotten.  I  am  trying  to  gain 
recognition  for  it,  and  I  think  I  am  succeeding.  If  I  can  get  a  hearing, 
I  hope  to  lead  those  who  can  be  led  into  the  church. 

One  Sunday  evening  a  lecture  was  given  in  Horticultural  Hall,  the 
largest  auditorium  in  Philadelphia. 

Upon  all  these  varied  uses  he  entered  with  the  utmost  zest.  He  loved 
his  work  and  was  never  so  happy  as  when  engaged  in  it. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1883  my  father  again  fell  and  broke 
one  of  his  ribs.  He  was  incapacitated  from  active  work  for  several 
weeks  but  still  managed  to  write.    He  thus  refers  to  it: 

Philadelphia,  January  21,  1884. 

Our  Church  Committee  are  getting  to  be  quite  overbearing  in  their 
demands  upon  me.  I  don't  see  how  I  can  stand  it.  At  the  last  meeting 
they  ordered  me  to  get  a  carriage  whenever  I  wanted  to  go  out  and 
charge  the  cost  to  the  church.    A  stop  must  be  put  to  this  domineering. 

I  am  getting  into  the  harness  again,  but  have  not  fully  recovered 
my  strength.  I  contrive  to  preach  on  Sunday  and  write  a  sermon  when 
I  can,  but  my  brain  soon  wearies.  Our  services  are  very  well  attended 
and  our  people  feel  much  encouraged  to  extend  tlieir  work.  We  have 
a  missionary  who  is  beginning  to  visit  the  neighboring  towns.  If  he 
proves  useful  we  shall  try  to  keep  him  in  the  field. 

-4  356  }§e.~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,   1881-1886 

I  think  we  have  a  very  meagre  conception  of  what  might  be  done  in 
giving  spiritual  help  and  comfort  to  many  in  a  society  who  need  it, 
the  rich  quite  as  much  if  not  more  than  the  poor;  I  am  trying  to  awaken 
our  people  to  the  idea  of  having  a  genuine  society  of  the  New  Church. 
It  is  slow  work,  but  something  may  be  done;  not  much,  however,  in  my 
time.    But  it  will  never  be  done  until  we  work  for  it. 

After  a  long  period  of  dull  weather  he  says: 

A  strange  phenomenon  has  occurred  twice  this  week  in  Philadelphia. 
A  remarkable  canopy  of  blue  has  spread  over  the  whole  heavens,  and 
a  bright  orb  with  a  clear  disk  appears  in  it  during  the  day,  and  beautiful 
gems  of  light,  brighter  than  diamonds,  in  the  night.  The  papers  have 
not  taken  much  notice  of  it  yet,  but  people  look  up  with  wonder  and  re- 
joicing.   Have  you  noticed  anything  of  tlie  kind  in  New  York? 

Convention  was  held  in  Philadelphia  this  year,  and  many  arrange- 
ments were  necessary  for  the  meeting  of  its  delegates.  The  prepara- 
tion of  the  annual  address  was  always  an  arduous  task  to  Mr.  Giles. 
And  yet  the  spirit  of  these  addresses  was  so  filled  with  love  to  the  church 
and  the  wish  to  furtlier  its  best  interests  that  their  usefulness  was  un- 
doubtedly very  great. 

My  parents  did  not  spend  the  summer  at  the  seashore,  but  had  a 
taste  of  the  salt  air  in  a  brief  visit  to  friends  at  Bayshore,  Long  Island, 
and  before  long  they  left  with  Lake  George  as  their  final  objective. 

To  this  beautiful  region  for  many  summers  my  father  and  mother 
went.  Through  the  kindness  of  some  of  his  parishioners  a  good  room 
was  secured  for  them  season  after  season  at  the  Sagamore,  which  has 
since  burned  to  the  ground,  but  at  diat  time  was  a  fine,  new  hotel  on 
Green  Island,  one  of  the  best  situations  on  tlie  lake.  They  loved  the 
spot  and  many  are  their  references  to  its  quiet  beauty. 

At  this  time,  instead  of  going  by  the  most  direct  route,  they  first 
visited  their  daughter  near  Boston.  From  there  they  went  to  Charle- 
mont,  my  father's  native  place,  and  after  a  pleasant  visit  with  the  rela- 
tives went  on  to  Lake  George. 

Mr.  Giles  had  many  dear  friends  in  England.  The  .Mr.  Allen  to 
whom  die  folluwiiig  letter  is  addressed  was  the  kind  gentleman  wiio  liad 
on  one  occasion  accompanied  my  fatlicr  to  Germany. 

-4  357  ^'- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

To  Mr.  Allen  from  Chauncey  Giles 

Philadelphia,  January  10,  1885. 

I  feel  moved  to  write  you  to-night.  I  often  think  of  you  and  call 
upon  vou,  and  I  hope  you  sometimes  cross  the  raging  Atlantic  and 
look  in  upon  me.  You  will  generally  find  me  in  the  same  sitting-room, 
at  the  same  desk,  and  scribbling  away  in  the  same  old  effort  to  transmit 
to  others  some  ideas  of  the  Holy  City,  and  give  them  some  help  in  enter- 
ing through  its  gates  of  pearl.  The  city  grows  brighter,  more  glorious 
and  attractive  every  day,  as  I  seem  to  be  approaching  it.  I  am  sure  it 
is  closer  to  my  thought,  but  whether  I  am  really  drawing  near  to  it  is 
quite  another  matter,  for  we  can  only  enter  it  as  its  streets  and  river 
of  life  enter  us.  But  I  am  beginning  to  preach,  so  inveterate  is  the 
habit. 

Well,  my  brother,  how  fare  you  and  how  fare  the  wife  and  children? 
I  hope  you  are  all  well  and  doing  well,  and  are  still  at  No.  1  West  Hill. 
I  hear  from  you  occasionally,  through  your  paper,  for  which  I  thank 
you.  I  hope  you  are  making  some  progress  in  rescuing  men  from 
slavery  of  the  body.  I  am  trying  to  do  the  same  work  for  those  who 
are  in  bondage  to  sin,  and  I  am  sure  I  am  making  some  progress.  A 
very  comforting  idea  has  been  given  me.  Every  effort  to  do  good  meets 
with  some  success.  There!  is  not  that  a  comfort?  I  have  spent  the 
whole  evening  talking  with  a  Japanese  who  is  somewhat  interested  in 
our  doctrines.  He  has  promised  to  call  again.  Who  knows  the  result? 
I  do  not;  I  will  not  pretend  to  prophesy. 

But  possibly  you  may  care  more  to  know  something  about  me  than 
about  a  Jap.  Well,  I  am  about  the  same  as  when  you  saw  me,  head  a 
little  whiter,  step  a  little  feebler,  limbs  a  little  stiffer,  but  able  to  do 
about  the  same  amount  of  work,  and  I  am  nearly  two  years  nearer 
home.  There  is  consolation  in  that.  And  yet  I  am  in  no  hurry;  I  am 
willing  to  remain  in  this  foreign  land  as  long  as  my  Master  has  any 
work  for  me  to  do  and  wait  until  He  calls  me.  But  the  home  seems 
nearer  and  more  beautiful  and  wonderful. 

There  cannot  be  anything  too  great  or  rich  or  good  for  the  Lord  to 
give.    The  more  He  can  give  the  better  He  is  pleased.     So  I  comfort 

-4.  358  }§e.- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,   1881-1886 

myself.  Ah!  but  to  think  of  being  freed  from  the  impediments  of  this 
mortal  flesh  and  to  go  on  into  clearer  light,  into  more  ardent  love,  and 
into  a  more  glorious  rest  forever!    Can  these  tilings  be? 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Charles  H.  Allen 

London,  1885. 

I  have  been  very  busy  getting  up  two  large  Anti-Slavery  meetings  of 
which  you  will  see  the  account  in  tlie  Reporter.  H.  M.  Stanley  spoke 
at  the  London  meeting  and  it  was  quite  a  sweep. 

I  have  had  a  busy  and  an  anxious  time,  as  you  may  well  imagine, 
since  the  deatli  of  our  beloved  friend  Gordon  and  tlie  relapse  of  Lon- 
don into  a  state  of  barbarism  and  anarchy.  The  poor  natives  are  worse 
off  than  ever  and  slave  hunting  goes  on  merrily.  Still  we  do  not 
despair.  There  is  a  Divine  Providence  yet,  although  so  strangely 
denied,  and  we  try  to  leave  the  destiny  of  the  African  tribes  to  the 
guiding  of  that  Supreme  hand.  But  it  is  our  duty  to  use  the  means 
God  has  placed  in  our  hands,  and  so  this  society  must  continue  its 
work  until  slavery  is  abolished  all  the  world  over!  A  long  time  off, 
I  fear! 

We  continue  to  delight  in  your  sermons  whenever  we  meet  with  any, 
and  my  wife  was  saying  only  on  Sunday  that  whilst  we  were  at  church 
and  she  had  to  remain  at  home  unwell,  she  had  read  a  most  beautiful 
sermon  of  yours  in  "  Perfect  Prayer."  So  you  see  you  are  with  us  in 
spirit  through  the  medium  of  ink  and  paper  and  we  can  read  your 
thoughts  and  try  to  embody  them  with  our  own. 

Early  in  1885  a  \ciry  important  change  took  place  in  the  Pliiia<lcl- 
phia  Society.  Although  as  industrious  as  ever,  advancing  years  brought 
to  Mr.  Giles  the  frequent  reminder  that  his  powers  of  endurance  were 
failing.  Rheumatism,  a  constant  comjianion,  the  noise  in  his  head 
which  111'  liad  endured  for  years,  broiuliitis,  and  the  suffering  I'ntailed 
from  a  broken  rib,  all  had  drained  his  vitality.  The  ardor  of  his  love 
for  the  Church  and  the  wish  to  imi)art  its  blessings  to  others  increased 
as  he  grew  older.  Bui  he  oltcn  deplored  his  failing  lueniory,  saying 
that  his  comprehension  of  what  he  read  was  keener  than  ever,  but  his 
nu'tnory  could  not  be  depended  upon.  There  were  many  demands  upon 
him  which  a  younger,  more  active  man  could  lulfd,  so  it  seemed  best 

-4  359  }3^- 


THE   LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

that  an  assistant  should  be  called.  No  one  could  have  filled  this  posi- 
tion with  greater  devotion  and  elTiciency  than  Mr.  William  L.  Worcester, 
who,  after  some  correspondence,  accepted  the  call. 

The  relation  between  tlie  two  men  was  very  beautiful  and  utterly 
without  that  jealousy  which  sometimes  mars  the  association  of  an 
older  and  younger  clergyman.  It  was  literally  work  in  unison,  both 
oblivious  of  self,  seeking  only  the  use  of  their  respective  offices.  Mr. 
Giles  rejoiced  in  every  success  of  Mr.  Worcester's,  and  he  in  turn 
looked  to  my  father  for  counsel,  at  the  same  time  himself  working  in 
freedom.  Mr.  Worcester's  usefulness  to  the  Philadelphia  Society  is 
well  known,  but  none  but  the  family  can  know  of  his  filial  devotion  to 
my  father.  He  protected  him  in  every  possible  way  from  overfatigue, 
and  in  my  father's  last  illness  shared  with  his  sons  and  daughters  —  I 
am  sure  he  would  call  it  —  the  privilege  of  nursing  him.  Herewith 
follows  some  of  the  correspondence  relative  to  his  coming  and  arrival. 

Letter  to  Mr.  Giles  from  Rev.  John  Worcester 

January  20,  1885. 
William  will  go  as  you  ask.  You  will  find  that  he  is  somewhat  self- 
distrustful  in  undertaking  new  tilings  and  yet  does  them  courageously 
and  well.  Also  I  think  you  will  find  that  he  is  not  ambitious  for  him- 
self, nor  for  anything  but  to  do  his  duty,  and  that  after  his  visit  you 
will  be  just  as  free  as  you  are  now.  If  he  can  do  the  service  you  desire 
for  the  Philadelphia  people  I  shall  be  very  glad.  You  and  they  must 
judge,  and  if  he  is  not  suited  to  it  there  is  good  work  for  him  to  do 
nearer  home,  to  which  he  will  return  contentedly.  I  pray  with  you  that 
the  Lord  will  guide  us  to  do  wisely  just  what  He  desires  us  to  do. 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  William  L.  Worcester 

Newtonville,  April  2,  1885. 
There  surely  is  no  minister  whom  I  would  rather  assist  than  yourself. 
There  would  be  no  misunderstanding,  no  thought  that  the  assistant  was 
in  any  sense  a  rival,  and  it  would  be  a  delight  to  feel  that  I  was  re- 
lieving you  enough  to  prevent  your  work  from  being  a  burden  and 
enabling  you  to  give  your  strength  to  that  which  you  do  so  peculiarly 
well. 

-4.  360  ^^ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

This  will  at  least  show  you  that  if  the  guidance  of  Providence  con- 
tinues so  plain  I  shall  accept  the  offer  when  it  comes  from  your  society, 
with  the  sincere  prayer  that  it  may  lead  to  usefulness. 

The  following,  dated  Philadelphia,  April  2,  1885,  gives  the  action 
of  the  Society: 

Our  society  voted  with  great,  I  may  say  perfect,  unanimity  last 
Monday  evening  to  invite  William  Worcester  to  be  my  assistant.  I  have 
never  seen  so  much  earnestness  about  any  movement  in  tlie  church  as 
there  is  in  tliis.  He  quite  won  the  hearts  of  every  one.  I  do  not  know 
of  a  larger  and  more  useful  field  of  labor  in  the  church  than  this,  or 
one  in  which  a  young  man  could  begin  under  more  favorable  auspices. 

Mr.  Giles  writes,  January  9,  1885: 

I  am  delivering  a  course  of  three  lectures,  a  program  of  which  I  send 
you.  The  subject  is  '"  The  Relations  of  Labor  and  Capital."  We  have 
departed  from  the  "  Garden  of  Eden,"  and  have  entered  into  the  con- 
flicts of  the  times,  and  die  public  seems  to  like  us  better,  if  we  can 
judge  by  the  audiences.  We  have  taken  special  pains  to  distribute 
circulars  through  the  workshops  and  with  some  effect. 

I  am  trying  an  experiment  which  I  am  sure  will  do  no  harm  and  may 
do  some  good. 

Since  I  began  these  lectures  on  "  The  Relations  of  Labor  and  Capi- 
tal" I  receive  frequently  pamphlets  on  socialism,  labor,  and  its  various 
relations.  To-day  came  a  batch  of  John  Swinton's  paper,  so  tliat  if 
you  hear  that  I  have  become  a  socialist,  dynamiter,  or  any  other  mod- 
em monstrosity,  you  must  not  be  surprised.  I  am  a  litllc  curious  to 
know  where  it  will  end. 

Of  "Labor  as  a  Curse  and  as  a  Blessing"  he  says: 

I  likrd  llic  Icclurc.  wliich  is  a  rare  thing  for  me,  and  I  think  it  will 
be  a  useful  one.  I  wish  it  could  be  put  into  the  hands  of  every  me- 
chanic. I  could  make  some  points  in  it  better  if  I  had  time,  but  it  went 
into   the    printer's   hands   this    morning.      I    think    it    will    give   some 

-  *i{  301  ji*-- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

workmen  a  higher  idea  of  tlieir  employment  and  some  people  a  truer 
idea  of  their  indebtedness  to  laborers  if  they  will  read  it.  I  was 
quite  amused  at  the  sharp  attention  that  was  given  to  what  I  said  about 
the  needle.  Well,  you  will  have  a  chance  to  read  it  and  judge  for  your- 
self. I  am  quite  satisfied  with  the  results  of  my  three  lectures,  so  far 
as  they  now  appear.  I  have  taught  some  wholesome  truths  which  do 
not  usually  come  from  the  pulpit,  and  I  am  confident  they  will  bring 
some  people  to  the  New  Church  who  would  not  otherwise  have  come. 

This  is  the  passage  to  which  reference  is  made: 

It  is  the  curse  of  labor  that  men  and  women  do  not  find  their  hap- 
piness in  it.  They  regard  it  almost  wholly  as  a  means  (imposed  by 
stem  necessity)  of  gaining  happiness  by  spending  the  wages  they  earn, 
or  in  freeing  themselves  from  the  necessity  of  useful  employment; 
whereas,  if  they  would  put  love  for  others  into  it,  their  work  would 
become  the  instrument  of  accomplishing  the  end  they  sought.  Every 
stitch  of  the  needle,  every  stroke  of  the  hammer,  every  step  taken  and 
every  word  spoken  would  be  in  its  measure  a  success.  Would  not  that 
take  the  servility,  the  drudgery,  the  feeling  of  inferiority  out  of  labor? 

Two  of  the  lectures  of  this  course  were  translated  into  Italian  and 
twenty  thousand  of  them  distributed  among  the  Italian  people. 

In  May  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  attended  the  Congress  of  Churches  in 
Hartford  and  afterwards  went  to  Cincinnati.  With  the  advent  of  sum- 
mer began  their  pleasant  season  of  rest  at  Lake  George. 

July  31st  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  am  reading  such  light  literature  as  "  The  Divine  Love  and  Wis- 
dom," Wilkinson's  "  Greater  Origins  of  Good  and  Evil,"  and  Professor 
Fiske's  exposition  of  "  Evolution."  For  rest  I  read  some  novels  and 
talk  some  with  the  guests,  but  I  cannot  do  much  in  that  way.  I  rise  in 
the  morning  long  before  breakfast  and  row  out  to  an  island,  and  in  the 
shade  of  the  great  trees  which  cover  it  I  read  a  Psalm  and  worship  with 
the  birds  and  squirrels.  They  sing  and  chatter  and  enjoy  the  good  tlie 
Lord  gives  them.  Then  I  read  something  from  the  Writings  until  I  am 
rested.    Then  I  row  on  to  another  island  and  repeat  the  process.    I  was 

-4  362  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

out  two  hours  this  morning  and  got  back  just  in  time  to  go  to  breakfast 
with  your  mother  at  nine  o'clock. 

The  reading  of  Fiske's  work  on  "  Evolution  "  was  introductory  to  his 
own  lectures  on  the  same  subject,  which  later  formed  the  little  book  on 
"  The  True  and  the  False  Theory  of  Evolution." 

This  letter  to  a  friend  in  England  is  very  expressive  of  his  peaceful 
happiness  amid  beautiful  surroimdings  and  is  very  full  of  that  spirit 
concerning  the  New  Church  which  was  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  his: 


■o 


The  Sagamore,  Lake  George,  August  24,  1885. 

As  I  have  leisure  now  and  it  rains  so  that  I  cannot  row  or  sit  under 
tlie  trees  and  dream,  I  will  answer  your  letter  at  once.  We  were  glad 
to  hear  from  you  again  and  to  learn  that  you  are  all  well.  We  think 
and  speak  of  you  often,  and  visit  you,  though  we  do  not  come  in  a  cab 
or  make  any  trouble  after  our  arrival.  We  feel  sure  that  a  room  is 
always  ready  in  your  hearts  and  we  require  no  care  or  labor  to  enter- 
tain us.  I  read  something  about  English  affairs  every  day.  Our  papers 
give  a  good  resume  of  London  news,  so  we  are  kept  en  rapport  with  you 
and  move  along  together.  Sometimes  I  am  disappointed  when  events 
do  not  suit  me,  but  I  try  to  remember  that  they  are  the  best  that  could 
be  secured  under  the  circumstances,  and  that  whetlier  one  party  or  an- 
other succeeds  everything  is  moving  on  towards  better  conditions,  and 
that  every  step,  even  though  it  seems  to  be  retrograde,  is  necessary  to 
the  full  accomplishment  of  the  Divine  purposes. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  am  still  able  to  do  sometliing.  I  have 
preached  four  limes  in  the  open  air  since  we  came  here.  The  island 
on  which  the  hotel  stands  contains  about  seventy-five  acres,  the  most  of 
which  are  still  covered  with  the  original  forest. 

A  lovely  spot  surrounded  by  large  forest  trees  was  selecteil,  the 
underbrush  cleared  away,  and  some  seats  procured.  A  rude  or  rustic 
pulpit  was  erected  in  front  of  an  immense  chestnut  tree,  and  in  this 
temple  nut  made  with  hands  we  worship  every  Sunday  morning.  The 
trees  give  us  a  perfect  shade.  The  birds  join  in  our  songs  and  the 
squirrels  look  on  at  a  respectful  distance  in  the  galleries  above  us.  and 
sometimes  chatter  away,  whether  in  wonder  or  contempt  I  do  not  know. 

-*■(  363  )§•- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  service  is  well  attended  by  the  visitors  at  the  hotel,  and  I  hope  some 
good  is  done  in  making  known  the  truths  of  the  New  Age.  Inquiry  is 
made  about  die  doctrines. 

We  judge  loo  much  of  the  progress  of  the  New  Church  by  the  number 
of  those  who  formally  and  openly  accept  its  doctrines.  This  is  as  un- 
safe a  criterion  as  it  would  be  to  judge  of  the  coming  of  summer  by  the 
number  of  early  flowers.  One  is  as  sure  a  sign  of  the  coming  summer 
as  a  thousand.  Innumerable  obstacles  of  which  we  know  nothing  must 
be  removed,  and  this  work  goes  on  like  the  melting  of  snow  and  ice  and 
the  thawing  and  warming  of  the  frozen  ground,  before  any  seed  can  be 
sown  and  take  root.  There  must  be  and  there  is  a  general  movement, 
or  a  tendency  to  movement,  in  all  departments  of  human  life  towards  a 
better  condition.  Humanity  is  in  the  human  form  and  a  new  life  is 
penetrating  tlie  whole  body.  Every  effort  has  some  effect.  You  are 
helping  in  your  way  and  I  in  mine.  The  disclosures  of  iniquity  made 
in  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  are  an  effect  of  this  universal  cause  which  is 
operating  upon  humanity.     Light  reveals  darkness. 

The  societies  of  the  New  Church  do  not  grow  anywhere  with  much 
rapidity.  Perhaps  it  is  not  necessary  that  lliey  should.  The  minds  of 
men  are  formed  by  the  old  doctrines,  and  it  requires  an  organic  change 
in  them  to  see  and  live  according  to  the  new,  even  when  they  have  dis- 
carded the  old.  What  the  external  organization  of  the  Church  will  be 
I  do  not  know.  It  is  not  perhaps  of  much  consequence,  so  entire  free- 
dom of  mind  is  allowed  and  we  can  all  see  that  much  progress  is  made 
in  that  direction.  One  thing  we  know,  and  it  ought  to  be  a  sufficient 
encouragement  in  our  work  to  know  it,  and  that  is  that  the  principles  of 
the  New  Church  are  to  prevail  because  they  are  the  laws  of  human  life 
in  all  its  degrees,  —  natural,  spiritual,  and  celestial.  So  we  are  work- 
ing for  a  winning  cause,  under  whatever  form  it  may  appear. 

We  are  having  a  delightful  summer.  This  is  the  most  beautiful  place 
I  ever  saw.  We  are  surrounded  with  friends  and  we  do  not  lack  any 
natural  means  of  happiness.  The  rheumatism  which  has  tormented  me 
for  so  many  years  has  gone  into  my  feet,  and  I  cannot  walk  much  with- 
out great  pain.  But  I  can  row  and  I  find  it  an  excellent  exercise.  So 
you  see  I  am  being  hemmed  in  on  many  sides  and  my  communications 

-4  364  ^^ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

are  interrupted  and  cut  off  from  the  material  world.  But,  as  I  am 
driven  out  of  this  world,  I  hope  my  mind  is  opening  more  fully  to  the 
other.  It  seems  nearer  and  brighter  and  more  real  every  day.  But  to 
come  back  to  this  one  — 

Our  room  is  in  the  fourth  story  of  the  hotel.  From  one  window, 
beside  which  Mrs.  Giles  is  now  sitting,  engaged  in  her  usual  occupation 
of  knitting,  we  look  out  on  a  beautiful  lawn  which  is  almost  equal  to 
any  I  ever  saw  in  England.  Tlie  forest  trees  in  many  varieties,  tall 
and  graceful,  are  thickly  scattered  over  it.  They  cause  the  most  beauti- 
ful shadows  morning  and  evening,  lying  in  long  lines,  and  during  most 
of  the  day  constantly  changing  and  dancing  with  tlie  light.  Beyond  the 
lawn  lies  the  lake.  Through  the  leafy  screen  of  the  trees  and  shrubs 
on  the  shore  can  be  seen  its  pure  water,  clear  as  crystal,  stretching 
away  for  five  miles,  but  interspersed  here  and  there  with  lovely  islands 
covered  with  a  dense  forest  of  pine,  oak,  chestnut,  birch,  and  many 
other  varieties  of  trees  extending  to  the  water's  edge.  Beyond  rise  the 
mountains,  wooded  to  the  top,  but  here  and  there  showing  immense 
precipices.  Little  steam  launches,  sailboats,  and  rowboats  are  con- 
stantly—  [end  of  letter  missing]. 

With  the  return  to  Philadelphia  the  preparation  of  a  course  of  lec- 
tures on  Swedenborg  was  begun.  In  addition  were  the  usual  pastoral 
duties  incident  to  a  large  society.  Once  a  month  a  manual  was  printed 
which  gave  in  outline  the  forthcoming  events  in  the  church.  Then,  as 
all  Mr.  Giles's  sermons  and  lectures  were  printed  and  distributed  ever>' 
week,  there  was  tlie  proof  to  correct  and  tlie  careful  oversight  which 
necessarily  precedes  publication. 

At  this  time,  also,  he  sat  at  intervals  to  Miss  Cecilia  Beaux,  who  was 
painting  his  portrait.     He  characterizes  it  as  "  a  stupid  business." 

His  correspondence  was  always  extensive  and  covered  interests  in 
many  activities  of  the  chiirrh  at  large.  Tliere  were  one  or  two  meetings 
of  the  Tract  Society  and  the  Book  Association.  Of  die  former,  Mr. 
Giles  was  elected  president.  Then  there  were  the  weekly  meetings  of 
the  Church  Committee,  at  which  |daiis  for  the  iini)rovement  and  in- 
creased usefulness  of  the  society  were  informally  discussed.  Nearly 
every  new  movement  for  good  in  the  local  church  work  originated 
here. 

At  one  of  these  meetings  it  was  voted  to  make  application  for  Uie 

~.g{  365  ^ 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

ordination  of  Mr.  William  Worcester.  This  rite  took  place  on  Decem- 
ber 13th. 

Early  in  January,  1886,  Mr.  Giles  received  a  letter  from  Paris  which 
mentions  that  a  new  translation  of  "The  Nature  of  Spirit"  had  been 
made  by  Baron  Mallet.  The  translation  was  preceded  by  a  short  bio- 
graphical sketch.  The  letter  also  speaks  of  some  active  and  successful 
work  begun  in  France  for  the  distribution  of  Swedenborg's  "  True  Chris- 
tian Religion  "  and  "  The  New  Jerusalem  and  Its  Heavenly  Doctrines." 

At  home  the  lectures  on  "  Evolution  "  were  in  progress.  These  after- 
wards formed  the  little  book,  "The  True  and  the  False  Theory  of  Evo- 
lution." One  of  these  lectures  was  given  in  Brooklyn  to  a  crowded 
house. 

On  February  20lli  he  went  to  Washington  to  preach  and  to  attend  the 
Maryland  Association. 

After  a  visit  to  Boston  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  a  friend  in  that 
city.  It  came  into  my  possession  in  rather  an  interesting  way.  One 
day  I  was  taking  a  walk  with  a  friend  and  incidentally  my  father  was 
mentioned  and  something  said  of  the  helpful  nature  of  his  writings. 
Reference  was  made  to  this  letter  and  I  was  asked  if  I  had  ever  seen  it. 
My  friend  had  a  copy  which  was  given  to  her  by  the  recipient,  and  in 
her  turn  she  sent  it  to  me.  It  has  since  been  lent  to  many  people  and 
has  cheered  them  when  they  were  ill.  Indeed,  it  returned  to  my  father 
himself,  for  once  when  he  was  indisposed  I  sent  him  a  copy,  with  the 
remark  that  I  would  give  him  some  of  his  own  medicine. 


Philadelphia,  March  11,  1886. 

I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  you  had  taken  cold  and  were  confined  to 
your  room  and  bed.  But  why  should  we  be  sorry  when  out  of  it  will 
come  some  greater  good  than  the  pleasure  of  moving  about  and  attend- 
ing to  household  duties  and  entertaining  friends,  if  we  will  let  it?  No 
one  but  ourselves  can  close  our  doors  against  the  angels  and  the  blessed 
spirits  who  delight  to  minister  to  us. 

I  doubt  not  they  do  come  near  to  us  when  our  thoughts  are  closed 
against  the  intrusion  of  natural  cares  and  turned  to  them.  And  as  we 
turn  to  them  in  thought  and  affection,  the  sphere  of  their  love  flows  into 
us  and  softens  the  hardness  of  the  natural  mind  and  makes  impressions 
upon  us  which  Swedenborg  calls  "states  of  sanctity,"  which  are  germs 
of  heavenly  fruit,  or  seeds  which  will  bear  it,  when  we  get  to  our  house 

-^  366  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

in  heaven.  I  have  no  doubt  the  enforced  rest  we  find  in  sickness  is  often 
of  inestimable  value  to  us.  The  thought  has  frequently  come  to  me 
lately  that  sickness  and  the  growing  infirmities  of  age  are  a  gradual 
death,  and  it  is  pleasant  and  beautiful  to  think  of  tliem  in  this  light. 
They  are  a  gradual  loosening  of  the  bonds  which  bind  body  and  spirit 
together.  The  loss  of  natural  memory  is  the  beginning  of  the  process, 
which  ends  when  we  leave  the  body  in  being  entirely  closed,  so  that 
in  our  ordinary  states  of  life  in  the  spiritual  world  we  have  no  recol- 
lection of  this  world  and  our  life  in  it.  By  such  gentle  process  does 
the  Lord  effect  the  great  changes  in  our  life.  This  gradual  change  was 
doubtless  much  more  evident  to  the  people  in  the  Golden  Age  than  it 
is  to  us,  but  the  principle  is  the  same.  If  we  could  keep  in  mind  more 
distinctly  and  constantly  than  we  do,  that  we  are  citizens  of  the  spiritual 
world,  that  our  home,  our  wealth,  and  our  means  of  happiness  are  there, 
it  would  alter  the  standard  by  which  we  estimate  all  values  and  make 
this  life  brighter  and  this  world  pleasanter  and  full  of  deeper  meaning. 
We  should  think  less  of  the  ills  we  suffer  and  more  of  tlie  good  we  gain, 
because  the  labor  and  the  pain  are  but  momentary  and  the  good 
is  a  prophecy  of  the  higher  and  more  precious  good  we  shall  enjoy 
in  our  home.  It  seems,  somehow,  as  tliough  light  were  breaking  in 
every  day.  I  cannot  describe  it.  The  partition  walls  betAvccn  this 
and  the  spiritual  world  are  growing  thin  and  becoming  transparent. 
The  light  of  the  spiritual  world  seems  to  be  shining  through  and  tlic 
objects  that  lie  beycmd  are  becoming  more  distinct  and  substantial, 
and  it  is  easier  to  think  of  them  and  more  delightful  to  contemplate 
the  life  that  must  open,  open  wider,  richer,  and  more  beautiful 
forever. 

Then  the  thought  is  not  so  much  of  going  somewhere  as  attaining  an- 
other state  of  love  and  wisdom.  It  comes  right  home  to  me,  —  why  not 
live  that  life  now;  why  not  make  the  earthly  home  a  heaven,  as  far  as 
love  and  use  can  effect  it?  Why  not  put  away  from  ihouglit  and  lieart 
everything  that  is  not  heavenly?  Why  not  open  the  doors,  which  is  done 
by  resisting  evil  and  falsity,  and  let  the  light  shine  in  and  tlie  warmth 
of  heavenly  love  quicken  our  cold  and  torpid  affections? 

These  questions  come  to  me  and  jog  my  sleepy  faculties  to  wake  lo 

-•^•{  367  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

a  new  consciousness  ol  life.    Life  is  a  constant  awakening  to  some  new 
truths  and  new  good  which  the  Lord  has  provided  for  us. 

Not  all  Mr.  Giles's  lectures  were  on  religious  subjects.  In  February 
he  wrote  "  The  Good  Old  Times  in  New  England,"  the  greater  part  of 
which  is  given  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  book.  He  had  taken  cold  from 
fatigue  and  too  much  travel,  so  was  unable  to  deliver  it  himself,  but  it 
was  read  to  an  interested  audience  by  the  Rev.  William  Worcester. 

One  night  at  a  Church  Committee  meeting  Mr.  McGeorge  brought 
papers  which  cancelled  tlie  second  mortgage  on  Mr.  Giles's  house.  This 
was  a  gift  which  was  very  much  appreciated.  The  benefactors  modestly 
withheld  their  names,  but  they  could  not  fail  to  know  of  the  family's 
gratitude.  How  much  the  possession  of  that  home  added  to  the  com- 
fort of  my  parents'  declining  years!     Their  children  are  grateful,  too. 

From  time  to  time  the  intercourse  so  pleasantly  begun  in  England 
was  continued  by  correspondence.  Through  the  kindness  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Rawsthome,  I  have  the  last  letter  which  Mr.  Giles  wrote  to 
her  father,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Bayley  of  London.  Not  long  after  the 
receipt  of  Mr.  Giles's  letter  Dr.  Bayley,  who  had  been  ill  for  some  time, 
died.     His  daughter  writes: 

June  8,  1886. 

It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  him  gradually  to  relinquish  the  hope 
of  joining  you  in  your  own  country. 

My  dear  father  had  hoped  to  have  that  pleasure  for  so  long,  had  read 
with  such  interest  of  all  your  work  there. 

Perhaps  his  powerful  sphere  can  help  us  all  better  now,  freed  from 
all  weakness  of  nature;  and  he  was  so  ready,  so  prepared  by  his  well- 
spent  life  to  take  any  higher  work  granted  by  the  Master  he  so  loved 
and  served  so  joyously. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  last  letter  written  by  the  Rev.  C.  Giles 
to  Dr.  Bayley: 

Philadelphia,  May  24,  1886. 
Your  esteemed  favor  of  May  third  was  duly  received  and  gave  me 
mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and  disappointment:  pleasure  to  learn 
tliat  you  are  recovering  from  your  long  illness,  and  disappointment, 
which  I  share  with  our  people  generally,  that  we  shall  not  see  you  at 
our  Convention.  I  am  sure  there  is  no  minister  in  the  Church  whose 

-^  368  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

presence  among  us  would  give  such  general  pleasure.  Our  people  have 
read  your  semions  and  books  and  have  been  much  benefited  by  them  and 
think  of  you  with  deep  interest  and  pleasure.  I  am  sure  you  would 
receive  a  most  cordial  greeting,  —  a  greeting  that  would  cheer  your 
heart  and  renew  your  strength. 

I  presume  the  Convention  will  meet  in  Boston  next  year,  and  I  hope 
you  will  be  able  to  come  then.  The  New  Church  appears  at  its  best 
there,  where  there  are  so  many  societies  whose  members  can  attend  the 
Convention.  Our  great  distances  prevent  a  large  attendance  in  the 
Western  states. 

Yes,  we  have  many  queer  people,  but  we  should  not  have  so  many 
varieties  of  tliem  if  our  population  were  composed  of  native  Americans. 
People  who  come  here  from  other  countries  think  this  is  the  "  land  of 
the  free,"  and  they  suppose  that  means  that  every  one  can  do  as  he 
pleases.  Nearly  all  the  people  who  are  engaged  in  labor  strikes  and  in 
the  late  riots  are  foreigners.  We  have  found  that  the  most  radical, 
arbitrary,  and  contentious  spirits  in  the  New  Church  were  not  native 
Americans,  or  were  of  foreign  extraction.  America  seems  to  be  the 
place  to  "prove  all  things,'"  and  I  ho|)c  it  will  hold  fast  to  that  which 
is  good. 

We  are  separated  by  such  wide  distances  that  we  cannot  come  into 
such  intimate  and  constant  associations  as  you  can,  and  we  all  need 
contact  with  others  to  repress  idiosyncrasies  and  keep  our  minds  in 
equilibrium. 

We  watch  with  dee|)  interest  the  movements  of  the  Church  in  England 
and  every  step  in  your  civil  crisis.  Everywhere  we  see  confirmation  of 
tlie  truth  that  men  are  coming  into  a  "  free  state  of  thinking,"  and  free 
thought  must  lead  to  free,  and  in  the  end  orderly,  action. 

I  have  done  an  unusually  hard  winter's  work  and  have  been  very 
well,  with  the  exception  of  rheumatism,  which  is  constantlv  growing 
upon  me,  and  will  at  last  entirely  cripple  me  if  the  end  of  earthly  work 
does  not  come  in  some  other  way.  Our  society  and  congregation  are 
growing  steadily  and  healthfully  and.  I  believe,  spiritually,  as  well  as 
numerically.     Indeed,  I  have  a  charming  society. 

Please  present  my  very  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Hawsthorne,  and  say 

-*i{  369  K*- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

tliat  die  invitation  to  come  and  rest  with  us,  while  you  in  your  youthful 
vigor  go  roaming  over  the  country,  is  still  open,  and  we  hope  to  see  you 
both  next  year,  or  any  time  when  you  can  come. 

In  this  letter  Mr.  Giles  comments  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Bayley  and  on 
other  matters: 

Philadelphia,  June  22,  1886. 

The  departure  of  Dr.  Bayley  and  the  conflict  which  is  going  on  in 
your  civil  affairs  awaken  a  lively  interest  in  your  people,  in  both  church 
and  state. 

You  must  miss  Dr.  Bayley;  he  has  occupied  so  conspicuous  a  place 
in  all  New  Church  work.  You  will  miss  him  from  the  councils  of  the 
church  and  as  an  efficient  worker  in  building  up  the  Lord's  kingdom. 
You  will  find  him,  however,  in  other  ways.  Wlien  a  good  man  goes 
into  the  spiritual  world  he  occupies  a  more  central  position,  and  he  can 
act  more  directly  and  efficiently  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  remain 
in  this  life.  A  bad  man  has  less  power,  because  he  is  farther  removed 
from  human  minds  and  is  kept  under  more  rigid  confinement.  So  it  is 
a  gain  to  humanity  when  either  the  good  or  the  evil  depart  to  the  other 
life. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  from  Dr.  Bayley,  just  before  he  set 
out  for  France,  a  letter  which  I  shall  highly  prize.  You  may  remember 
that  several  of  the  leading  men  in  our  society  passed  on  last  year. 
It  seemed  at  first  as  though  we  could  not  get  on  without  diem.  But 
we  do,  and  our  society  is  more  active  and  efficient  than  ever.  Sweden- 
borg  says  the  Church  on  earth  will  gain  increase  and  power  as  the 
heavens  gain  strcngtli  by  accessions  from  the  earth. 

I  was  much  interested  in  your  account  of  your  visit  to  Morocco.  We 
have  many  evils  to  contend  with  and  remove,  but  society  in  England 
and  America  is  heaven  compared  with  what  you  describe.  I  think  it 
is  a  good  landmark;  it  shows  that  civilization  and  religion  have  made 
immense  progress,  and  gives  us  sure  grounds  of  hope  for  the  future. 
The  New  Church  helps  us  to  see  in  all  the  industrial,  civil,  and  religious 
commotions  which  are  now  shaking  society  and  the  Church  to  the  centre 
the  effects  of  a  Divine  and  merciful  power.     Through  the  noise  and 

-^  370  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

confusion  of  conflicting  elements  we  can  hear  the  still  small  voice  of  the 
Lord's  love,  and  see  the  outlines  of  an  order  which  will  become  more 
distinct  as  the  smoke  and  dust  of  departing  systems  are  cleared  away. 
I  feel  an  assurance  of  the  steady  coming  of  the  Lord  to  establish  His 
Kingdom  on  the  earth,  which  fills  my  heart  with  comfort  and  peace. 

Early  in  the  year  the  New  Church  Society  in  Washington  had  begun 
to  consider  the  advisability  of  changing  their  pastor.  As  in  many  other 
cases  when  counsel  was  needed,  my  father's  advice  was  sought. 

Two  of  the  letters  concerning  tlie  proposed  change  are  here  given: 

From  Chauncey  Giles  to  Hon.  Job  Barnard 

PlllLADELPiiiA,  June  17,  1886. 

Your  favor  of  yesterday  was  duly  received.  It  seems  to  me  the  plan 
you  propose  is  feasible  and  useful.  It  is  a  good  and  honorable  position 
for  Mr.  Fox  and  one  to  which  he  is  entitled.  I  think  he  could  perform 
a  much  greater  use  as  a  general  pastor  than  he  could  if  he  confined  his 
labor  to  the  Washington  Society,  if  he  enters  into  it  with  zeal  and 
energy.  I  have  written  to  him  to  that  effect.  If  he  could  establish 
little  centres  in  the  Association  and  bring  them  into  communication 
with  one  another  and  keep  them  alive  by  occasional  visits,  it  would  in 
time  lead  to  a  live  and  strong  Association. 

I  have  also  written  to  the  Board  of  Missions,  suggesting  that  they 
should  unite  with  the  Maryland  Association  in  supporting  him  in  tliat 
field.  In  the  winter  he  might  go  south  and  do  some  good  work  there. 
If  the  plan  were  entered  into  with  energy  and  a  determination  to  carry 
it  into  elfect,  I  have  no  doubt  of  its  success.  Help  would  come  from 
unexpected  sources. 

I  am  forcibly  impressed  witli  the  fact  that  in  forming  our  plans  for 
building  U|)  the  Church  and  providing  the  means  for  it  we  leave  out  the 
most  imjjortant  factor,  that  is,  tlie  Lord.  We  do  not  take  Him  into  the 
account.  He  is  with  us,  for  when  we  are  working  for  tlie  Church  we 
are  moving  in  the  current  of  the  Divine  Providence.  All  tlie  Divine 
forces  are  cooperating  with  us.  Men  are  raised  up  and  made  willing 
to  provide  means  of  wliicli  we  had  no  conce|)tioii. 

I  know  you  all  feel  kindly  toward  Mr.  Fox.    lie  has  dune  the  Cluircli 

-<■{  371  }S^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

in  Washington  a  noble  service,  and  you  must  deal  considerately  with 
him,  and  even  at  some  sacrifice  you  must  put  him  in  a  position  in  which 
he  can  still  work  lor  (he  Church  to  the  best  advantage. 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Job  Barnard 

Washington,  D.  C,  June  28,  1886. 

Your  noble  letter  was  received,  and  its  kind  and  yet  progressive  tone 
woke  us  from  our  dying  condition  to  such  an  extent  that  the  plan  pro- 
posed was  decided  upon  by  our  society  yesterday  at  its  last  meeting,  by 
a  decisive  vote  by  ballot. 

A  call  was  extended  to  Mr.  Daniels,  and  the  matter  of  his  salary  was 
referred  to  the  Church  Committee.  We  have  guaranteed  the  five  hun- 
dred dollars  towards  Mr.  Fox's  support  as  general  pastor,  and  we 
hope  the  Board  of  Missions  will  give  as  much  more.  It  is  important 
in  starting  this  new  move  that  it  have  the  moral  as  well  as  financial 
support  of  the  Board  of  Missions  and  of  the  Association  and  the  Church 
at  large,  for  we  feel  that  it  is  an  important  step  toward  building  up  the 
Church  in  this  region  of  the  country.  We  feel  thankful  to  you  for  your 
interest  and  kind  advice  in  this  matter. 

Not  only  were  Mr.  Giles's  counsels  sought  in  matters  concerning 
societies  (there  was  almost  no  branch  of  church  work  in  which  he  was 
not  interested,  directly  or  indirectly),  but  he  frequently  received  letters 
from  individuals  who  felt  in  need  of  spiritual  help. 

The  following  letter  was  treasured  for  years  Ijy  its  recipient: 

Philadelphia,  June  18,  1886. 

I  was  so  much  pleased  to  get  a  letter  from  you  again  that  I  am  in 
no  mood  for  scolding  you.  Indeed,  I  do  not  think  scolding  is  much  in 
my  line,  but  if  I  can  help  you  in  any  way  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure 
to  do  it.  That  is  my  big  business  by  inheritance  and  profession.  You 
may  not  know  that  Saint  Giles,  who  became  so  famous  in  London  as  to 
give  his  name  to  a  part  of  the  city,  was  the  saint  of  cripples,  and  the 
gate  that  led  to  his  house  in  which  he  performed  his  miracles  of  heal- 
ing the  halt  and  lame  is  called  Cripplegate  to  this  day. 

It  is  my  business  to  make  the  lame  in  another  sense  walk;  but  my 

-^  372  }§«•- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

success  is  not  sufficient  to  entitle  me  to  a  saintship.  If  my  ancestor  had 
not  succeeded  better  than  I  do  I  am  sure  he  would  never  have  been 
honored  with  such  a  title.  But  if  I  can  help  a  little  I  shall  not  complain. 
I  do  not  aspire  to  any  great  success.  If  I  imderstand  your  letter  aright, 
you  are  a  little  lame,  not  by  any  means  a  cripple,  but  you  limp  a  little 
in  the  way  that  leads  to  heaven,  get  weary,  and  sometimes  quite  dis- 
couraged at  your  slow  progess.    Is  it  not  so? 

Well,  my  child,  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Don't  think  of  your  own 
lameness,  but  when  you  see  any  one  else  that  walks  a  little  lame  and 
seems  to  be  weary,  try  to  help  him.  If  he  is  carrying  a  heavy  burden, 
as  the  most  of  us  are,  try  to  help  him  lift  it,  or,  what  is  much  better, 
throw  it  away.  In  almost  every  instance  it  is  composed  of  poor  stuff  and 
is  not  worth  carrying  a  foot.  Then  a  little  help  in  making  the  path 
smoother,  in  pointing  out  the  pleasant  views  by  the  wayside  and  the 
sunny  spots  that  lie  just  ahead,  will  help  the  lame  one,  and  before  we 
are  aware  of  it  we  forget  our  own  crippled  condition  and  begin  to 
move  around  as  lively  as  a  cricket.  The  efficacy  of  this  remedy  is 
wonderful.  Every  ounce  of  the  burden  we  lift  from  the  hearts  of 
others  falls  from  ourselves.  As  we  help  others  to  walk  we  help  our- 
selves. We  gain  strength  by  using  what  we  have  for  the  good  of  others. 
The  brightness  we  give  to  them  falls  upon  our  own  patli. 

It  is  a  great  help,  also,  to  cease  to  think  of  yesterday  and  to-morrow. 
To-day  gives  business  and  pleasure  enough  for  any  one.  Suppose  we 
all  entered  into  the  duties  and  the  pleasures  of  the  day,  tried  to  find 
what  we  could  do  in  the  morning,  and  how  much  good  we  could  get 
out  of  it  for  ourselves  and  others,  entering  into  our  work  widi  as  bright 
and  pleasant  a  spirit  as  possible,  and  doing  the  same  all  day;  it  would 
generally  be  a  happy  day,  even  under  unfavorable  circumstances. 

This  principle  applies  not  only  to  our  ovm  natural  work  but  to  our 
spiritual  work.  It  ajjplics  to  our  combats  with  evil  and  false  principles, 
and  our  efforts  to  think  well  and  feel  right.  We  must  not  be  discour- 
aged because  we  cannot  remove  an  evil  at  once  by  merely  willing  to  do 
so.  If  we  are  in  the  honest  effort  and  purpose  to  live  a  good  life  there 
can  be  no  (loul)t  about  the  result.  We  can  resist  an  evil  to-day.  We 
can  tliink  well  of  the  Lord  and  the  neighbor  to-day,  and  to  diink  well 

-♦j{  373  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

of  the  Lord  and  the  neighbors  opens  heaven  to  us.  It  opens  the  door 
so  that  the  Lord  can  come  in  and  make  His  home  in  our  hearts.  The 
room  to  which  we  welcome  Him  may  be  very  small  at  first,  but  He  will 
enlarge  it  and  make  it  bright  with  His  presence  and  sweet  with  His 
love. 

We  are  sometimes  sad  and  discouraged  when  we  think  "  what  might 
have  been  "  if  this  or  that  had  or  had  not  occurred.  But  none  can  tell 
what  might  have  been  if  this  or  that  had  been  different.  It  might  have 
been  a  thousand  times  worse  for  us,  even  if  it  had  been  much  better  in 
natural  things. 

We  must  not  think  about  any  end  in  life.  There  is  no  end.  We  can- 
not escape  from  ourselves.  If  we  should  go  into  the  other  world  we 
would  be  the  same  beings  we  are  in  this.  We  must  be  diligent  and 
patient  in  trying  to  make  ourselves  better  by  doing  our  work  with  a 
pleasant  spirit  by  "thinking  well  of  the  Lord  and  the  neighbor,"  and 
one  way  to  think  well  of  Him  is  to  trust  Him  and  do  what  He  tells  us. 

I  am  afraid  I  have  preached  you  a  sermon  instead  of  writing  you 
a  letter,  but  I  have  written  what  came  into  my  mind  and  perhaps  it 
may  help  you  a  little.  I  am  pleased  that  you  still  think  of  me,  and 
I  hope  you  will  write  to  me  whenever  you  feel  like  it. 

After  the  meeting  of  Convention,  when  Mr.  Giles  was  again  reelected 
president,  came  a  delightful  experience.  He  went  to  Williamstown  to 
attend  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  graduation  of  his  class,  that  of 
1836.    He  says: 

There  is  to  be  a  meeting  of  the  old  soldiers,  twenty  of  whom  out  of 
a  class  of  thirty-two  now  survive.  We  were  a  tough  lot,  were  we  not? 
It  is  said  tliat  there  is  no  instance  of  a  similar  longevity  in  any  class. 
Your  motlier  will  go  with  me,  and  from  there  I  think  we  shall  go  to 
Lake  George,  where  we  propose  to  spend  our  vacation,  unless  we  can 
find  a  better  place,  on  better  terms. 

They  did  not  go  to  Lake  George  as  soon  as  they  expected.  From 
Williamstown  they  went  to  West  Newton,  to  visit  their  youngest  daugh- 
ter. WTiile  there  they  were  summoned  to  New  York  to  attend  the 
funeral  of  the  infant  son  of  Chauncey  L.  Giles. 

-4  374  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

Of  the  visit  to  Williamstown  the  diary  records: 

We  had  our  class  meeting  and  began  to  go  over  the  roll.  Eleven  of 
the  old  members  were  present,  one  more  than  there  were  twenty  years 
ago.  The  meeting  was  very  interesting.  Old  memories  were  revived 
and  old  scenes  lived  over  again. 

June  30.  We  had  our  last  class  meeting.  This  was  Commencement 
Day.  I  stayed  through  the  exercises,  which  were  interesting  to  me. 
From  the  church  we  marched  to  the  alumni  dinner.  I  was  called  upon 
for  a  speech,  and  made  a  short  one  which  was  well  received.  President 
Hopkins  took  me  by  the  hand  and  thanked  me  for  it. 

Mr.  White  [one  of  his  classmates],  Eunice,  and  I  went  to  Bennington. 
I  had  not  been  there  for  fifty  years.  The  place  was  much  changed. 
The  old  seminary  was  closed  and  the  town  itself  had  gone  to  ruin. 
Business  has  been  transferred  to  another  part  of  the  township,  but  we 
had  a  delightful  ride.     It  was  very  kind  in  Mr.  White  to  take  us. 

The  eighth  of  July  found  them  once  more  at  Lake  George. 

The  much  needed  time  for  rest  had  arrived,  yet  Mr.  Giles  could 
never  be  wholly  inactive.  He  preaciied  every  Sunday  during  tlie  sum- 
mer and  wrote  one  new  sermon  on  the  "  Descent  of  Man,"  a  subject 
which  interested  him  greatly.  He  also  prepared  an  address  to  be  de- 
livered at  Detroit  before  die  Michigan  Association  in  September. 

A  note  of  discouragement  sounds  in  his  diary,  due  no  doubt  to 
fatigue,  headache,  buzzing  in  the  ears,  and  rheumatism. 

One  of  the  pleasant  episodes  of  this  year  was  the  visit  to  this  country 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paterson,  New  Church  friends  from  Scotland. 

My  father  was  greatly  delighted,  and  wrote: 

1  am  sorry  I  do  not  know  upon  what  steamer  you  are  coming.  If  I 
did  and  were  at  home,  I  would  stand  on  the  wharf  and  be  the  first  one 
to  welcome  you  to  America. 

This  could  not  be,  and  it  seemed  diflicult  to  arrange  a  time  of  meeting 
because  of  engagements  made  for  Mr.  Giles  to  ])rearh  and  lecture  away 
from  home.  Mr.  Giles  spoke  in  Boston  and  New  Haven,  and  he  had 
agreed  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Connecticut  Association,  to  be  held 

-^  375  }s.- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

at  Hartford.     From  this  place,  after  a  night  spent  with  former  New 
York  parishioners  at  Milford,  Mr.  Giles  went  to  New  Haven.     Here, 
by  arrangement  of  lliese  friends,  he  had  tlie  pleasure  of  meeting  these 
dear  Scotch  people  to  whom  he  was  so  warmly  attached. 
While  with  his  friends  at  Milford,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Saturday  I  am  going  to  New  Haven.  I  received  a  note  from  Mrs.  D. 
to-day,  asking  me  to  come  to  her  house  Saturday  afternoon  to  dinner  at 
six  o'clock.  She  says  she  has  invited  friends  to  meet  me  from  eight 
to  ten.  Mrs.  T.  says  she  has  issued  cards  for  a  reception;  I  dread  it  not 
a  little.  I  am  having  a  good  rest,  which  I  need,  before  the  reception 
to-night  and  the  work  to-morrow.  I  do  not  expect  I  shall  meet  a  single 
person  to-night  I  ever  saw  before,  except  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  I  should 
think  from  all  that  is  said  that  I  am  to  meet  the  president  and  some 
members  of  the  faculty  of  Yale,  for  the  purpose  of  being  questioned 
about  our  doctrines.  Don't  you  pity  me?  It  may  not  be  so  formidable 
as  fancy  paints  it. 

I  am  feeling  very  well,  quite  as  well  as  I  did  when  I  left  home,  but 
the  pleasantest  part  of  the  whole  is  that  I  am  going  home  in  a  few  days. 

The  shrinking  from  strangers  of  which  my  father  speaks  was  never 
shown  in  the  least  when  actually  meeting  them.  A  genial  spirit  of  cor- 
dial kindness  marked  his  intercourse  with  others.  In  view  of  his  appre- 
hension before  the  event,  the  following  letter  from  his  New  Haven 
hostess  to  a  friend  in  Philadelphia  is  very  interesting: 

New  Haven,  November  28,  1886. 

I  am  going  to  take  this  quiet  Sunday  afternoon  to  make  my  promised 
report  on  Mr.  Giles's  visit. 

Mr.  Giles  has  indeed  an  attraction  all  his  own,  quite,  I  think,  the 
most  single-minded,  guileless,  and  yet  persuasive  Christian  leader  that 
I  have  ever  met.  ...  I  felt  for  him  an  increasing  personal  interest.  .  .  . 

When  we  first  spoke  of  Mr.  Giles  as  coming  here,  I  said  to  my  hus- 
band (in  a  spirit  of  self-appropriation),  "We  will  keep  him  all  to 
ourselves;  he  will  talk  delightfully  just  to  us,"  but  my  husband's  more 
generous  instincts  urged  that  Mr.  Giles  himself  would  probably  like 
to  meet  our  college  professors  ...  so  it  was  arranged  .  .   .  and  I 

-4  376  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

really  think  it  might  have  been  gratifying  to  you,  could  you  have  seen 
how  cordially  he  was  met  hy  our  University  circle  —  already  knoAvn 
to  the  greater  part  by  his  writings. 

During  that  evening,  after  the  general  introduction  to  Mr.  Giles, 
he  went  with  my  husband  into  an  opposite  drawing-room  to  be  intro- 
duced to  other  friends  there.  About  half  an  hour  afterwards  I  also 
went  into  that  room  and  found  an  audience  three  rows  deep,  listening 
to  Mr.  Giles's  conversation  witli  an  absorbing  interest.  Some  of  the 
professors  and  Mrs.  D.  (the  president's  wife  and  the  most  cultivated 
woman  of  our  circle)  were  drawing  out  Mr.  Giles  to  speak  on  his  own 
particular  doctrines  and  views.  He  was  explaining  and  answering  them 
most  interestingly,  with  what  seemed  to  me  an  admirable  art  and  felic- 
ity, combined  with  the  most  delicate  tact  and  good  taste  .  .  .  indeed, 
his  words  and  his  thoughts  seemed  to  be  giving  the  keynote  to  conversa- 
tion all  through  the  room.  This  was  even  amusingly  expressed  by  a 
particular  friend  of  mine  (tlie  very  "spirituelle  "  wife  of  one  of  our 
professors) ;  she  laid  her  hand  on  my  arm  and  said  emphatically,  "  My 
dear,  I  never  spent  such  an  evening  as  this  in  my  life.  I  call  it  a  soirie 
at  the  Salon  Rambouillet.  You,  with  your  foreign  associates,  represent 
Mme.  de  Rambouillet.  introducing  to  us  a  Bossuet  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
Giles,  and  I  find  him  in  Uiis  room  discoursing  eloquently  on  '  Man  in 
the  World  of  Spirits.'  In  the  other  room  I  have  just  left  Dr.  Newman 
Smyth,  Dr.  Barbour,  and  President  Dwight  discussing  '  Probation  After 
Death';  in  another  part  of  the  room  they  were  talking  of  'The  Nature 
of  the  Resurrection  Body '  .  .  .  and  in  the  rear  room  they  are  dis- 
cussing '  Occupations  of  tlie  Future  Life.'  You  should  have  put  on  tlie 
comer  of  your  invitations,  'Conversazione;  Resurrections  Subjects!'" 
Though  this  reads  like  a  joke,  it  was  really  founded  on  fact,  and  as  I 
passed  down  the  room  I  stoi)i)ed  to  sjieak  with  a  young  lady  standing  on 
die  outer  circle  of  a  bevy  of  young  married  women.  Her  specialty  is 
lawn  tennis,  so  I  asked  her  how  the  tennis  tournament  of  the  day  be- 
fore had  gone  off,  and  her  answer  was:  "  Oh,  I  dont  know  and  I  don't 
care!  That  day  I  was  reading  Mr.  Giles's  book,  '  Man  as  a  Spiritual 
Being,'  and  we  have  all  talked  of  nothing  else  ever  since,  and  it  has 
given  me  such  different  thoughts  of  death;  and  now  I  like  to  look  at 

— ■{  377  \^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

him  standing  there  and  think  of  his  comforting  words!  "     That  was 
neatly  said,  wasn't  it? 

On  Sunday  afternoon  we  all  went  to  the  Center  Church  to  hear  him 
preach.  He  had  what  our  New  Haven  reporters  call  "  a  cultivated  and 
intellectual  audience."  The  venerable  Emeritus  President  Woolsey 
and  family  sat  just  under  the  pulpit,  President  Dwight  and  family  oppo- 
site; all  die  college  professors  and  a  goodly  mingling  of  Episcopalians, 
Scotch  Presbyterians,  and  Congregationalists.  All  were  interested  and 
spoke  appreciatively  of  the  sermon.  Mr.  Giles  has  a  good  delivery 
and  most  persuasive  tone  of  voice,  and  I  hope  at  some  time  to  hear  him 
in  his  own  beautiful  church  with  an  accompanying  liturgy.  I  have  been 
reared  in  the  Church  of  England,  accustomed  to  its  liturgy  and  a  highly 
ornate  service,  and  the  surroundings  of  a  Presbyterian  church  give  a 
chill  to  my  spirit;  I  cannot  help  it! 

Again  and  again  during  my  father's  ministry  letters  were  received 
from  friends  to  whom  he  had  been  helpful.  It  is  impossible  to  weave 
them  into  a  connected  narrative.  From  their  very  nature  such  corre- 
spondence came  as  breaks  in  the  regular  routine.  Few  of  them  have 
been  sent  to  me,  but  such  as  are  received  are  very  expressive  of  the 
gratitude  of  their  recipients. 

Such  acknowledgments  as  the  following  were  very  encouraging: 

From  W.  F.  B.  to  Chauncey  Giles 

December  17,  1886. 
From  my  heart  I  tliank  you  for  your  very  kind,  beautiful,  and  satis- 
fying letter.  My  mistakes  have  been  so  many  in  the  past,  and  errors 
for  which  I  am  sorry  so  seem  to  compass  me  about  that  it  is  hard  in- 
deed to  keep  brave.  But  a  Mighty  Hand  most  of  the  time  seems  to  up- 
hold me,  and  my  state  of  mind  is  so  much  more  composed  than  during 
tlie  period  of  former  confinement  that  I  am  thankful  all  the  time  for 
the  Lord's  help  which  I  feel  about  me.  And  when  He  sends  to  me  such 
strong,  earnest,  helpful  words  as  I  find  in  your  letter,  I  feel  more  than 
grateful.  I  tell  you  most  earnestly  they  have  helped  me  to-day;  and 
I  shall  call  it  a  privilege  to  have  them  by  me,  and  when  a  sad  moment 
comes  there  will  be  comfort  in  their  strength.    To  think  that  you  could 

-^  378  }§«- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1881-1886 

take  time  from  all  your  duties  to  send  me  this  message!  God  bless 
you  for  it;  it  has  gone  deep  down  in  my  heart,  and  oh,  Mr.  Giles,  you 
may  think  it  but  a  little  help,  but  let  me  assure  you  that  it  came  at  a 
most  opportune  time,  and  has  been  a  great,  strong  lever  in  the  right 
direction.  In  all  human  probability  I  shall  outlive  you;  but  your  aids 
to  me  when  I  was  broken  and  cast  down,  when  the  battle  seemed  a  hard 
one  (and  it  was  uphill  work  to  push  against  trouble),  your  aids,  let  me 
say,  will  always  be  a  bright  thought  to  me,  and  your  memory  in  my 
heart  will  always  be  green.  Truly  you  are  a  good  friend  to  me,  and 
I  will  try  to  profit  by  the  good  and  true  words  so  sweetly  offered  me. 
A  true  servant  of  God,  I  pray  that  in  all  its  brightness  and  true  glory 
shall  come  the  summons  to  you,  "  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful 
servant:  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee 
ruler  over  many  things:  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord." 


■•4  379  ^- 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1887-1889 

X  HE  new  year  of   1887  opens  with  a   letter  of  encouragement  to 
Mme.  Humann.    He  reminds  her  that  — 

The  establishment  of  the  New  Church  is  not  a  revolution  but  a 
growth,  and  it  is  not  a  Jonah's  gourd  that  grows  up  in  the  night.  It 
grows  slowly,  but  it  is  to  continue  to  grow  widi  more  vigor  forever. 
We  can  afford  tlien  to  be  patient.  We  must  not  expect  great  visible 
results.  Of  one  thing  we  are  sure,  —  that  it  is  the  church  of  the  future, 
and  diat  it  must  universally  prevail  because  its  laws  are  the  truths  of 
man's  spiritual  life  and  his  actual  relations  to  the  Lord.  They  are  a 
spiritual  science,  and  they  will  work  tlie  same  beneficent  changes  in 
man's  spiritual  condition  that  natural  science  has  caused  in  his  material 
condition. 

The  work  of  1886  is  summed  up  in  tlie  following: 

I  spent  the  most  of  the  day  in  writing  my  annual  report  as  pastor  of 
the  church.  I  have  preached  every  Sunday  in  the  year  except  two,  and 
have  delivered  eighty-four  discourses  in  all. 

It  has  been  a  year  of  constant  and  delightful  labor.  Twenty-nine  of 
the  published  discourses  have  been  mine.  These  are  equal  to  a  book 
of  five  hundred  pages.  Many  thousands  of  these  have  been  circulated. 
Ten  tliousand  of  one  of  them  have  been  distributed.  I  have  done  much 
work  besides.  So  it  has  not  been  an  unfruitful  year  for  a  man  of  my 
age.    I  have  no  idea  that  I  shall  be  able  to  do  as  much  another  year. 

Herewith  are  given  some  of  the  suggestive  thoughts  from  the  diary 
of  this  year: 

January  9,  1887.  The  words  of  the  Lord  convey  a  different  meaning 
to  one  man  from  what  they  do  to  another.    Knowledge  is  not  an  entity, 

-4  380  ^^ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

like  a  sum  of  money  which  can  be  transferred  to  another  and  be  counted 
out  as  such  a  sum,  the  same  in  all  respects.  Every  mind  is  a  factor  in 
the  reception  of  truth;  the  result  is  some  modification  of  the  truth  in  its 
reception.  It  is  similar  to  the  modification  of  light  by  the  object 
which  reflects  it.  A  new  color  is  given  to  it,  —  a  color  determined  by 
the  organization  or  quality  of  the  plant.  This  is  a  universal  law  of 
reception  and  transmission.  It  applies  to  the  water  that  is  taken  up 
by  the  plant  and  becomes  sap. 

This  is  the  doctrine  that  truth  takes  on  the  form  of  the  mind  that 
receives  it.  Its  nature  may  be  wholly  changed.  The  law  is  worthy  of 
being  worked  out  more  fully. 

February  2,  1887.  I  seem  to  gain  clearer  conceptions  of  the  Lord. 
As  I  do,  I  feel  more  like  keeping  silence  than  uttering  a  word.  What 
can  I  say?  What  can  I  ask?  I  can  understand  something  of  the  feel- 
ing expressed  by  the  words:  "  My  hand  upon  my  mouth,  and  my  mouth 
in  the  dust."  One  feels  as  though  he  were  but  a  speck,  a  blot,  as  noth- 
ing. May  tlie  Lord  help  me  to  put  away  every  evil  and  open  my  heart 
to  Him  that  I  may  be  His,  wholly  His,  and  not  my  own.  May  He  give 
me  power  and  wisdom  to  shim  every  evil  as  a  sin  against  Him. 

The  Lord  is  with  us  against  our  follies,  errors,  and  sins.  He  is 
with  us  as  fully  in  adversity  as  in  natural  prosperity.  He  favors  and 
works  for  our  highest  interests  in  everything.  He  is  looking  to  our 
highest  good  in  what  He  withholds  as  fully  as  in  what  He  bestows. 
Wliat  an  unchanging,  devoted  friend  He  is!  And  yet  we  regard  Him  as 
our  enemy.  Wlien  our  natural  plans  do  not  succeed,  we  think  He  does 
not  favor  us.  How  often  we  hear  people  say  when  tliey  have  been 
naturally  prosperous  that  the  Lord  has  been  very  good  to  them.  But 
the  Lord  is  just  as  good  to  us  when  we  are  unsuccessful  and  are  suffer- 
ing as  when  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  natural  prosperity. 

Of  his  correspondence  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

I  have  an  accumulation  of  letters  from  all  quarters  of  die  earth, 
from  persons  asking  me  questions  about  our  doctrines  and  wanting 
explanations  of  some  points  regarding  them.  One  can  give  but  little 
satisfaction  in  a  letter.     Some  of  the  letters  I  have  written  contain 

-4  381  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

twelve  pages,  some  eight,  and  some  four.     It  seems  as  though  I  had 
said  nothing;  but  sometimes  a  word  is  useful,  and  I  try  to  say  that. 

Speaking  of  music,  after  attending  a  beautiful  concert  he  writes  on 
January  19,  1887: 

I  wonder  what  it  must  be  in  heaven,  where  the  voices  must  far  surpass 
in  sweetness  and  power  tliose  of  earth,  where  the  music  must  be  the 
perfect  expression  of  some  affection,  and  the  hearing  of  the  spiritual 
ear  vastly  more  acute  than  when  muffled  by  an  organ  of  flesh,  and  where 
every  one  will  be  in  perfect  sympathy  with  every  other  one.  It  must 
be  beyond  all  conception.  What  delights  are  in  store  for  those  who 
become  regenerate,  bom  from  above! 

Again  on  February  14  he  says: 

What  would  life  be  without  domestic  and  social  life!  We  are  en- 
riched by  every  good  and  intelligent  person  with  whom  we  become 
acquainted.  We  constantly  give  and  receive,  and  what  we  give  we 
retain.  If  we  knew  this  fact  and  acted  upon  it  how  much  richer  we 
should  be! 

My  father's  birthday  came  on  May  11.  It  was  made  the  occasion  for 
a  festival  of  good  will  and  generous  kindness  by  the  Philadelphia 
friends. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  a  committee  from  the  Ladies'  Aid  called 
and  gave  the  following  letter  with  the  accompanying  presents. 

To  Our  Beloved  Pastor  on  his  Seventy-fourth  Birthday 

May  11,  1887. 
In  behalf  of  the  members  of  this  society  and  congregation  we  pre- 
sent to  you  the  accompanying  clock  and  a  purse  containing  seventy- 
four  dollars  in  gold,  knowing  full  well  that  it  is  but  a  faint  suggestion 
of  the  golden  years  of  a  long  and  useful  life. 

We  ask  you  to  accept  them  and  the  enclosed  amount  in  their  name 
with  their  love  and  gratitude,  and  as  time  goes  on  may  each  stroke  of 
the  clock  remind  you  of  their  hourly  aff"ection  and  appreciation  of  the 

-4  382  }3^>- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

faithfulness  with  which  you  labor  to  unfold  the  wondrous  things  out 
of  God's  law. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  very  full  meeting  of  the  society  in  the 
Sunday  school  room,  which  was  beautifully  decorated  for  the  occasion 
with  flowers.  An  armchair  was  presented  from  the  children  of  the 
Sunday  school;  there  were  roses  for  Mrs.  Giles,  and,  as  my  father 
said: 

Best  of  all  were  tlie  hearty  expressions  of  good  will.  They  seemed  to 
fill  the  room  and  fill  the  hearts  of  all.  So  in  every  respect  it  was  a 
bright  and  joyous  day.  The  friends  were  especially  pleased  that  your 
mother  and  I  were  so  completely  surprised.  I  surmised  that  something 
was  in  the  air,  but  had  no  idea  what. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  happy  experience  the  family  was  quite 
alarmed  about  Mrs.  Giles.  Through  a  mistake  of  tlie  oculist,  who  had 
put  an  overdose  of  atropine  in  her  eyes,  she  was  poisoned,  so  that  after 
her  return  home  she  became  unconscious  and  remained  so  for  five 
hours. 

Writing  of  this  experience  on  September  27th  to  an  English  friend, 
Mrs.  Giles  says: 

This  happened  the  last  of  May  and  I  have  not  yet  recovered  tlie 
use  of  my  eyes.  The  effect  upon  my  nervous  system  generally  is  that 
I  am  altogetlier  more  sensitive  than  usual,  so  that  I  have  constantly  to 
reason  against  my  feelings  in  small  things  as  well  as  great.  We  came 
home  from  Lake  George  ten  days  ago.  Mr.  Giles  is  in  his  usual  health. 
He  has  preached  every  Sunday  but  two  during  his  vacation.  Last  night 
he  set  out  for  Cincinnati  and  Chicago  to  meet  tlie  Ohio  and  Illinois 
Associations.    He  expects  to  be  absent  about  two  weeks. 

During  this  visit  to  the  West  an  amusing  occurrence  is  mentioned  by 
my  fatlier: 

Wliile  sitting  in  tlic  church  yesterday  a  gray-headed  man  asked 
me  if  Mr.  Giles  were  present.  I  told  him  he  was.  He  looked  around 
from  one  to  another  and  seemed  disapjiointed  at  the  resuU.  I  said, 
"He  is  on  tliis  seat  in  this  comer."     He  still  seemed  disappointed  and 

-•^  383  ^- 


THE   LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

a  little  nonplussed.  I  said,  "I  am  Mr.  Giles."  "The  Rev.  Chauncey 
Giles?  "  he  asked.  "  Yes,  the  very  same,"  I  replied.  "  How  different 
our  ideas  of  men  are  from  the  reality,"  he  said:  "I  imagined  you  were 
a  tall  and  portly  man  of  commanding  presence.  Well,"  he  said,  "you 
are  tall  in  your  writings  anyhow." 

No  sooner  was  my  fatlier  home  from  Illinois  than  he  was  asked  to 
exchange  with  Mr.  Reed,  pastor  of  the  Boston  Society.  That  he  did 
much  besides,  in  die  vicinity  of  Boston,  his  home  letters  tell. 

November  16,  1887. 
I  am  really  getting  homesick  and  counting  the  days  when  I  shall  be 
with  you  again.  It  seems  as  if  I  had  not  been  at  home  since  last  spring 
except  to  say  "  How  do  you  do?  "  and  "  Good-bye."  My  work  has  been 
rather  hard  since  I  came  here.  I  preached  five  times  in  eight  days,  and 
have  delivered  five  lectures  to  the  Theological  students.  I  took  cold 
last  week,  and  Sunday  I  was  so  hoarse  that  I  was  afraid  in  the  morning 
I  should  not  be  able  to  proceed  with  the  service;  but  you  know  I  usually 
go  through  with  what  I  undertake  and  I  did  this  time,  but  it  is  much 
more  exhausting  to  speak  when  one  is  hoarse  and  is  compelled  to  force 
out  every  word  by  main  strength. 

Of  the  five  lectures  delivered  extemporaneously  to  the  Theological 
students,  I  subjoin  a  few  fragments.  The  notes  show  something  of  my 
father's  methods  of  composition,  and  even  from  the  skeleton  one  can 
gather  the  purport  of  the  lectures  as  a  whole.  They  also  illustrate 
some  of  Mr.  Giles's  own  characteristics  both  in  pastoral  and  literary 
work.  Four  of  the  subjects  were:  "The  Relation  of  a  Pastor  to  his 
People";  "The  Use  of  Words";  "Words  as  Tools";  "The  Art  of 
Putting  Truth." 


'o 


FROM   LECTURES   DELIVERED   TO   THE   THEOLOGICAL   STUDENTS, 
BOSTON,  NOVEMBER,  1887 

"  The  Relation  of  a  Pastor  to  his  People  " 

I.  The  basis  of  all  true  success  is  character.     It  is  what  a  man  is. 

II.  This  is  especially  true  in  dealing  with  men  in  the  practical 
affairs  of  the  church. 

-4  384  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

III.  The  kind  of  men  we  have  to  deal  witli:  all  sorts.  The  New 
Church  is  peculiar  in  this  respect.  Men  come  from  all  the  churches, 
their  especial  forms  tlie  last  things  they  are  willing  to  surrender.  Epis- 
copalians, Quakers,  etc. 

IV.  New  Churchmen  are  more  independent  thinkers  thun  others, 
and  therefore  more  difficult  to  deal  with  unless  it  is  done  wisely. 

V.  The  duty  of  a  New  Church  minister  to  lead  llie  people.    But  how 
can  he  lead  unless  he  is  wiser  than  they?    "  Blind  lead  the  blind,"  etc. 
Men  are  led  by  their  affections. 

VI.  He  must  adapt  himself  to  the  people;  enter  into  their  states. 
He  must  show  a  disposition  to  go  with  them.  If  a  man  "compel  thee 
to  go  a  mile,"  etc.  A  minister  often  gains  more  by  yielding  than  by 
rigidly  insisting  on  his  own  peculiar  ideas.  —  Catching  fish;  playing 
them. 

VII.  He  should  aim  at  the  good  of  the  church  and  every  member  of 
it.  A  thing  good  and  useful  in  itself  may  be  gained  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  be  a  great  injury.  In  curing  a  disease  we  must  not  create  a  worse 
one.  A  minister  has  been  thinking  and  studying  upon  a  subject  until 
he  is  familiar  with  it,  but  the  people  are  not.  He  springs  it  upon  them. 
He  must  familiarize  them  with  it;  lead  them  up  to  it;  help  them  to 
grow  to  it. 

VIII.  He  must  learn  to  say,  think,  and  feel  we  are  the  people;  we 
are  one  body,  we  are  a  unit.  —  Every  society  a  man.  A  minister  must 
try  to  make  tlie  people  feel  that  he  desires  to  help  tliem  and  be  helped 
by  them.  A  poor  plan  on  which  all  can  unite  is  better  than  the  best 
on  which  the  people  are  divided. 

"The  Art  of  Putting  Truth  " 

The  New  Church  puts  tlie  teacher  of  spiritual  truth  in  the  most  favor- 
able position  for  communicating  it. 

1.  It  places  him  in  the  lines  of  the  Divine  order,  where  he  can  see 
things  in  their  true  relations.  He  stands  on  the  basis  of  immutable  law. 
Plain  paths  —  he  can  go  from  one  plane  of  creation  to  another  —  an 
open  stairway  on  wliidi  ln'  can  ascend  from  the  natural  to  the  s|)irilual, 
etc.    Jacob's  ladder. 

~<i  38.5  J5-~ 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

2.  Show  how  llic  N.  C.  minister  can  help  in  all  things  in  understand- 
ing the  laws  of  spiritual  life,  (a)  An  immense  advantage.  He  finds 
himself  in  a  world  where  all  things  are  connected  and  related.  (6)  The 
Jaw  of  Correspondence,  (c)  Representatives,  {d)  Here  he  will  find 
the  most  abundant  and  perfect  means  of  presenting  a  spiritual  truth. 

3.  The  universal  law;  natural  truth  the  basis  of  spiritual  truth, 
(a)  The  Lord  always  works  like  Himself.  Learn  how  He  does  one 
thing  and  you  know  how  He  does  all  diings.  Show  the  value  of  truth 
in  preaching  and  learning.  Own  experience.  (6)  We  must  take  the 
people  where  they  are.    We  must  stand  with  them,  walk  with  them. 

4.  Abstract  truth.  No  such  thing.  Be  careful  not  to  limit  it  to  in- 
dividual or  particular  things.  Show  its  universality,  (a)  We  must 
give  it  in  concrete  forms.  S.  says  we  cannot  understand  spiritual  truth 
until  it  is  seen  in  the  light  of  a  natural  one. 

Truths  of  the  New  Church  could  not  be  communicated  to  men  until 
there  was  a  scientific,  natural  basis  for  them,  e.  g..  The  laws  of  God 
in  nature.  The  idea  of  connection  and  relation.  The  dominion  of  law. 
The  Lord  always  acts  according  to  immutable  law  in  the  material 
world.  Must  He  not  also  in  the  spiritual  world?  It  was  impossible 
to  convince  men  that  the  Lord  did  not  act  in  an  arbitrary  way  in  the 
government  of  men  until  they  saw  that  He  did  not  in  the  realms  of 
nature.  Show  that  the  principle  is  working  in  the  Christian  world 
to-day. 

5.  The  N.  C.  minister  must  study  nature  to  learn  the  laws  of  spirit. 
His  mind  should  be  rich  with  instances  of  natural  law  to  illustrate  spir- 
itual law.  He  must  employ  the  things  we  see  and  hear  to  teach  those 
things  we  cannot  see.  (a)  It  is  not  sufficient  simply  to  announce  the 
truth;  he  must  show  it.  He  must  hold  up  before  the  face  of  his  con- 
gregation a  mirror  in  which  they  can  see  it. 

Examples: 

Suppose  your  subject  is  the  Lord's  omnipresence.  Tlie  simple  as- 
sertion is  not  sufficient,  especially  if  we  first  teach  that  He  is  in  the 
human  form.  Illustrate  by  the  sun  —  the  sun  is  a  body.  By  the  spirit 
in  the  body  —  a  tuberose  in  a  dark  room.  How  do  we  know  it  is  there? 
Not  by  touch,  hearing,  or  sight.    It  is  everywhere  in  the  room. 

-4  386  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

Spiritual  growth 

Take  a  plant.  Swedenborg  says,  if  we  knew  how  a  tree  grows  we 
should  have  before  us  all  tlie  laws  of  regeneration. 

Freedom  in  its  relations  to  law.  They  are  generally  supposed  to  be 
antagonistic.  Freedom  is  generally  supposed  to  consist  in  following 
whim. 

Railway  engine  and  track 

6.  Must  illustrate  by  things  with  which  people  are  familiar;  com- 
mon things. 

Early  in  February',  1888,  the  Hon.  Job  Barnard  of  Washington  wrote 
to  Mr.  Giles  urging  him  to  come  to  tlie  assistance  of  the  Washington 
Society.    He  said: 

We  need  to  be  directed  by  your  good  heart  and  wise  head  as  to  what 
is  best  to  do  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  New  Church  in  the  Capital. 

After  his  visit  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Philadelphia,  March  11,  1883. 

I  went  to  Washington  last  week  and  preached  for  the  Society  last 
Sunday.  The  Society  is  in  an  unpleasant  condition  from  differences 
of  opinion  on  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Fox.  They  did  what  may  possibly 
be  a  good  thing  in  an  unwise  way  and  now  they  are  reaping  the  re- 
wards of  their  unwisdom.  Societies  like  individuals  go  through  these 
states  of  fermentation  and  I  suppose  some  good  comes  out  of  tliem, 
though  it  is  a  painful  way  of  getting  good.  I  had  a  pleasant  time. 
Their  little  church  was  crowded  and  the  attention  was  quite  profound, 
while  I  tried  to  show  them  wliat  a  society  of  the  church  rcallv  is.  the 
duty  its  members  owe  to  it,  and  the  good  they  will  gain  by  being  faithful 
in  doing  it.  I  found  there,  as  I  do  wherever  I  go,  persons  who  have  be- 
come interested  in  tlie  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  by  my  writings. 
It  is  pleasant  and  encouraging  to  know  this.  All  we  can  do  is  to  sow  the 
seed  and  the  Lord  has  declared  that  they  are  blessed  who  "sow  beside 
all  waters."    IJut  I  shall  not  sow  iiuu-h  more  in  this  world. 

I  cannot  conceive  of  a  more  dclj^liilnl  condition  lliaii  lo  have  just 

-•^  387  }•>  - 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

enough  to  do  to  keep  the  mind  active,  to  know  how  to  do  it  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  one's  self  and  every  one  else,  to  have  no  aches  or  pains  or 
sorrows,  and  to  know  that  every  want  is  and  will  be  provided  for  and 
to  be  free  from  every  cause  of  fear  and  sorrow  and  every  disturbance. 
The  possibility  of  gaining  such  a  state  seems  almost  too  good  to  be 
true.  Wlien  we  look  at  ourselves  it  does  seem  as  though  such  a  state 
were  imattainable.  But  wlu-n  we  regard  it  from  the  infinite  love  and 
wisdom  of  the  Lord  it  not  only  seems  possible  but  inevitable.  There  can 
be  nothing  too  good  for  Him  to  desire  and  to  give.  What  a  glorious 
prospect  there  is  before  those  who  love  and  serve  Him.  I  am  some- 
times almost  overwhelmed  by  it. 

I  have  been  writing  on  "  Retribution  "  at  the  request  of  the  Presby- 
terian minister  who  is  about  to  publish  a  book  on  that  subject  contain- 
ing the  views  of  different  churches.  I  thought  it  was  a  good  occasion 
to  say  something  for  the  New  Church.  But  I  am  glad  it  is  off  my 
hands.    I  shall  send  it  away  to-morrow. 

In  August,  1887,  Mme.  Humann  wrote  of  the  church  in  Paris.  This 
was  the  first  of  a  series  of  letters  relative  to  church  organization.  The 
subject  is  always  a  fruitful  source  of  disagreement,  and  the  settlement 
of  it  in  Paris  was  no  exception.  The  society  was  in  the  peculiar  posi- 
tion of  having  three  ministers,  none  of  whom  had  been  ordained  in  the 
usual  manner  by  an  ordaining  minister.  After  ten  years  of  preaching 
M.  Humann  was  consecrated  to  his  work  by  election  from  the  people  — 
the  ceremony  consisting  of  a  laying  on  of  hands  by  the  oldest  member, 
who  "  asked  the  benediction  of  Heaven  upon  him,  and  said  the  Society 
gave  him  the  right  publicly  to  teach  the  doctrines."  It  was  also  decided 
at  that  time  that  every  minister  who  wished  to  preach  at  the  rue  Thouin 
would  have  to  submit  to  the  same  ceremony  even  if  he  had  been  or- 
dained elsewhere.  Meanwhile  a  Mr.  Nussbaum  had  come  to  the  United 
States  from  the  Paris  Society  for  further  instruction  in  the  doctrines. 
He  spent  ten  weeks  in  my  father's  house  in  Philadelphia.  \^Tiile  in 
this  country  he  had  some  training  in  tlie  Theological  School.  At  the 
end  of  that  time,  during  which  there  was  some  opposition  to  him  by  the 
members  of  the  Paris  Society  and  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
metliod  of  his  ordination,  he  decided  not  to  become  a  minister  but  to 
go  into  business.  He  eventually,  however,  was  ordained  into  the  min- 
istry but  did  not  return  to  Paris. 

— »}{  388  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

M.  and  Mme.  Humann,  who  owned  the  church,  had  willed  it  and 
their  own  house,  with  a  handsome  sum  of  money,  to  Convention.  Be- 
cause of  a  possible  disapproval  by  the  Paris  Society  of  some  details 
they  did  not  dare  to  make  this  known. 

In  all  these  discouragements  and  difficulties  Mme.  Humann  wrote 
to  my  father  for  advice,  and  he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  help 
the  weak  and  struggling  little  society,  as  the  following  letters  to  her 
indicate: 

To  Mme.  Humann 

Philadelphia,  May  28,  1888. 

Wliile  you  are  keeping  the  light  burning  and  doing  what  you  can  to 
keep  an  interest  in  the  New  Church  alive,  il  will  shine  into  some  mind 
or  minds  that  will  become  aglow  with  the  new  light.  Men  will  be 
raised  up  who  will  meet  the  wants  of  the  age,  and  devote  themselves 
with  zeal  and  wisdom  to  organize  a  church  and  make  it  a  power  in 
the  land.  But  we  must  not  hang  down  our  hands  and  wait  passively. 
We  must  do  what  we  can,  that  in  our  work  we  may  be  instrumental  in 
finding  and  preparing  the  man.  The  New  Church  is  in  the  Lord's  heart 
and  hands.  He  will  support  its  life  and  build  it  up  everywhere  as  fast 
as  He  can  find  men  to  cooperate  with  lliin.  The  ages  move  slowly,  but 
they  move. 

I  have  foreseen  from  the  first  that  you  were  likely  to  have  some 
difficulty  in  organizing  the  church.  You  have  been  so  long  under  the 
domination  of  the  Catholic  priesthood  that  it  is  very  natural  to  swing 
to  the  opposite  extreme  and  to  think  that  the  way  to  avoid  the  dangers 
of  spiritual  tyranny  is  to  oppose  all  established  order.  The  transition 
from  tyranny  to  anarchy  is  natural,  but  both  are  equally  hostile  to  true 
freedom.  I  once  said  in  one  of  our  Conventions  that  I  hated  the  name 
priest,  and  I  do.  But  1  love  liberty,  and  I  am  sure  that  there  is  no 
way  of  gaining  it  in  cliurch  or  state  but  in  order.  The  church  will 
never  flourish  anywhere  on  earth  or  in  heaven  and  gain  a  steady  and 
substantial  growth  without  men  set  apart  to  teach  her  doctrines  and 
administer  her  affairs.  The  church  needs  clergy  as  much  as  the  state 
needs  officers  and  governors  to  administer  civil  affairs.  Men  must  be 
set  apart  and  dedicated  to  this  use,  and  formally  iiulucted  into  it  by 
the  consent  and  cooperation  of  the  members  of  the  church. 

-■^  389  };*- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

Philadelphia,  June  7,  1888. 

Tliere  is  no  minister  in  the  New  Church  who  thinks  less  of  ceremonies 
and  forms,  as  such,  than  I  do.  But  they  have  their  use,  which  is  not 
destroyed  by  their  abuse. 

I  think,  I  know,  you  are  right  in  forming  a  religious  society  that 
shall  be  a  distinct  body  by  itself  and  have  some  general  principles  dis- 
tinctly stated  of  its  purpose  and  modes  of  work.  Such  organizations 
are  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Divine  order;  they  exist  in  heaven.  It 
is  impossible  for  any  church  or  any  truth  to  be  successfully  maintained 
and  propagated  without  them.  If  you  can  get  even  a  small  number 
of  persons  who  will  work  together  according  to  some  common  rules 
which  they  accept  firmly,  treating  all  others  kindly,  but  moving 
steadily  on  in  the  performance  of  their  work,  diey  will  in  the  end  gain 
strength  and  numbers,  and  they  will  have  permanence  and  stability, 
and  win  the  favor  of  all  who  have  any  genuine  love  for  the  church.  The 
same  necessity  for  organization  exists  in  the  church  as  in  civil  society. 
The  purpose  of  the  organization  must  not  be  to  rule  over  others  but  to 
help  others  by  the  unity  and  combined  strengtli  of  numbers.  I  am  glad 
to  see  that  you  are  moving  in  that  direction.  The  first  movement  does 
not  seem  to  be  auspicious  but  it  will  in  the  end  succeed,  only  you  must 
be  patient  and  tender  and  considerate.  All  who  have  any  genuine  love 
for  the  church  wiU  come  back  to  you. 

Our  people  in  this  country  diink  I  am  rather  sanguine  about  the 
success  of  the  New  Church  because  I  say  that  every  effort  that  the  New 
Church  makes  to  disseminate  its  doctrines  and  build  up  the  Lord's 
kingdom  on  the  earth  succeeds.  I  am  sure  of  it.  The  success  may  not 
be  according  to  our  notions,  it  may  not  come  in  the  form  or  at  die  time 
we  expect  it,  but  it  will  surely  come.  France  is  to  be  New  Church.  And 
every  effort  you  are  now  making  to  spread  the  doctrines  of  the  New 
Church  is  necessary,  and  small  as  the  result  may  seem  to  be,  it  is  an 
essential  link  in  the  chain  of  cause  and  effect  by  which  the  end  is  to  be 
reached. 

So,  my  dear  friend,  take  courage.  Do  the  duty  of  to-day,  as  I  know 
you  will,  nobly  and  faithfully,  and  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently 
for  Him,  and  He  will  bring  it  to  pass. 

-4  390  }ge..- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

What  a  blessed  privilege  it  is  to  be  able  to  work  in  the  beginning 
of  things  when  only  a  few  can  be  found  who  can  be  interested.  In  some 
respects  it  might  be  more  pleasant  to  have  great  numbers  like  the  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants,  but  in  others  not.  Sowing  is  as  pleasant  and 
useful  as  reaping,  and  the  morning  is  as  charming  as  midday  or  even- 
ing. We  must  be  content  to  do  our  work,  thankful  diat  the  Lord  has 
put  it  into  our  hearts  to  do  it  and  given  us  the  means  of  doing  it.  We 
can  sow  the  seed,  but  we  cannot  make  it  grow.  The  Lord  alone  can  do 
that.  So  we  must  be  content  and  fiiKl  our  joy  in  doing  what  the  Lord 
has  given  us  the  means  of  doing. 

Philadelphia,  Jan.  27,  1890. 

After  M.  Humann  was  chosen  by  your  society  as  its  minister  and  for- 
mally introduced  into  the  office  it  changed  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs. 
We  have  no  desire  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  your  method  of  in- 
stituting the  ministry.  Your  mode  of  ecclesiastical  government  may  be 
the  best  for  you.    I  have  no  criticisms  to  make  or  fault  to  find. 

I  deplore  the  divisions  that  weaken  you  and  retard  the  progress  of 
the  Church.  But  it  seems  as  though  the  church  in  ever>'  country  has 
to  pass  through  such  a  state  of  conflict.  And  wlim  it  is  over,  the 
people  who  survive  look  back  upon  it  with  sorrow  and  wonder  why 
they  could  have  been  so  misled  and  wasted  their  strength  so  unwisely. 
Mr.  Worcester  and  I  were  talking  about  it  not  an  hour  ago.  "  Shall 
we  not  sometime  look  back  upon  the  trifles  that  have  divided  and  hin- 
dered our  usefulness,"  he  said,  "  with  shame  and  regret?  " 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  L.  Humann 

Bkllevue,  France,  March  4,  1890. 
With  all  tiie  troubles  and  heartaches  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing more  clearly  every  day  that  a  public  worship  is  the  only  good  plan 
in  Paris  to  bring  new  adherents.  We  constantly,  if  slowly,  gain  ground 
with  outsiders;  we  sell  books  and  make  the  doctrines  known.  We  re- 
ceive no  unkindness,  no  bad  treatment  of  any  kind,  from  peo|)le  who 
differ  from  us  in  their  religious  views.  It  is  only  the  New  Church 
people  who  are  not  always  kiiul  to  us.     Is  it  not  strange?     (In  conse- 

-4  391  }S^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

quence,  the  attendance  at  our  services  is  rather  small.)  My  husband 
has  now  the  whole  charge  of  the  preaching  and  I  have  also  the  whole 
charge  of  the  school.  Since  October  every  Thursday  and  Sunday  I 
have  a  class  and  it  suceeds  very  well.  I  have  generally  from  twelve 
or  fifteen  children  of  our  quarter  to  twenty  and  twenty-five.  I  have 
formed  also  a  sewing  class  of  about  twenty  women.  I  give  them  ten 
cents  for  sewing  two  hours,  and  we  read  to  them,  etc.  I  hope  next 
year  to  do  several  tilings  with  them.  I  translated  a  good  many  of  your 
children's  stories  and  read  them  to  my  children  after  reading  and  ex- 
plaining different  parts  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament.  They  enjoy 
your  stories  so  much!  Then  we  sing  hymns  and  also  songs  for  children, 
and  we  dance  sometimes  for  recreation  on  Thursday.  It  goes  on  very 
well.  But  it  is  very  heavy  work  for  us  all,  as  we  are  alone  to  do  every- 
thing, and  also  we  may  fall  ill.  However,  let  us  hope  for  the  best  and 
in  the  strength  given  us  by  a  kind  Providence. 

In  July  of  1888  the  Rev.  Joseph  Pettee  of  Abington  attained  his 
fiftieth  anniversary  as  a  New  Church  minister.  This  letter  of  my 
father's  expresses  his  happiness  in  the  event: 

Lake  George,  July  23,  1888. 

Allow  me  to  unite  my  voice  with  your  other  friends  in  congratulat- 
ing you  on  having  completed  a  half  century  in  the  ministry  of  the 
New  Church.  It  is  a  privilege  that  is  not  granted  to  many  laborers  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard.  It  is  the  noblest,  the  most  useful,  and  the  most 
honorable  office  that  is  given  to  men  to  perform  —  to  be  the  medium 
of  communicating  a  new  and  higher  light  on  the  most  precious  interests 
of  human  life,  to  be  a  pioneer  of  a  New  Age  and  clear  away  the  ob- 
structions and  plant  the  seeds  of  a  New  Church  which  is  to  be  the  crown 
of  all  the  churches.  What  more  important  work  was  ever  committed 
to  tlie  hands  of  men! 

What  changes  you  have  seen  during  the  half  century  you  have  been 
patiently  and  faithfully  laboring  to  build  up  tliis  kingdom!  The  man 
child  may  be  in  the  wilderness  still,  but  he  is  growing  in  power  and 
the  wilderness  is  changing.  It  is  not  so  dark,  wild,  desolate,  and  im- 
passable to  the  feet  of  those  who  come  with  good  tidings  of  peace,  with 

-^  392  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

new  light  and  the  means  of  attaining  a  new  and  higher  life.  The  man 
child  is  changing  the  wilderness  into  a  Garden  of  the  Lord,  and  you 
have  done  your  share  in  making  the  change. 

It  is  generally  regarded  as  a  great  blessing  to  prolong  our  days  in 
this  world,  and  it  doubtless  is  so  long  as  we  can  be  useful  either  by 
active  work  or  by  that  spiritual  ripening  which  is  effected  by  the  union 
of  a  regenerated  will  witli  an  enlightened  understanding.  I  doubt  not 
that  both  blessings  are  yours. 

Summer  had  come  again  and  its  advent  finds  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles 
again  at  Lake  George.  From  a  small  room  assigned  him  as  a  study 
he  writes,  in  July,  1888,  the  following  to  one  of  his  daughters,  who  is 
about  to  leave  for  Europe  with  her  husband: 

Your  mother  has  brought  her  letter  into  the  Tower  and  asked  "  Mr. 
Giles"  if  he  would  not  write  a  line  to  you.  I  have  asked  him  with 
a  suitable  degree  of  awe  and  respect,  and  he  has  graciously  conde- 
scended to  grant  her  recjuest.     So  here  goes  the  line. 

I  am  in  the  lone  and  lofty  tower  to  which  1  believe  you  have  been 
graciously  admitted.  It  is  an  octagon.  It  has  seven  windows  and  a 
door.  The  furniture  is  elegant  and  abundant.  It  consists  of  three  cane- 
bottomed  chairs,  —  two  common  ones,  and  an  armchair  which  I  am  at 
this  moment  occupying,  —  and  one  round  table  made  of  ash.  An  elec- 
tric light  depends  from  above.  The  room  is  entered  through  a  long  and 
crooked  passage;  but  very  few  are  admitted.  It  is  Mr.  Giles's  (the 
Rev.  Chauncey  Giles's,  President  of  the  General  Convention  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  in  the  United  States  and  Canada)  sanctum,  his  eyrie,  his  soli- 
tary abode  where  he  writes  a  letter  to  his  daughter,  and  ponders  upon  a 
lecture  or  a  sermon  which  he  hopes  some  time  to  deliver.  Here  he  sits 
in  solitary  grandeur  and  looks  down  ii|ioii  lln-  trees  and  the  lawn  and 
the  lake  and  llic  lulls  beyond  and  llie  pajier  upon  which  he  is  writing, 
and  thinks  of  —  oli,  yes,  and  lif  will  continue  to  think  of  the  daughter 
over  the  ocean  and  in  the  far-olf  lands.  Ills  thoughts  and  his  heart 
will  go  with  you  all  for  a  safe  and  jili-asanl  journey,  and  a  return  re- 
freshed in  mind  and  lind\  and  furiched  in  many  ways,  to  find  the  dear 
ones  at  home  all  w.ll.  and  all  the  bctliT  for  the  summer's  jouniey.    Tliis 

-  •».■{  393  }i!«- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

is  Mr.  Giles's  line.  I  don't  know  how  your  o^vn  father  could  have  said 
anything  more  to  the  point.  By  the  way,  I  understand  that  your  father 
intends  to  write  to  you  before  you  sail,  and  that  he  would  like  to  know 
how  to  address  letters  to  you  provided  he  should  feel  inclined  to  write. 
All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by  Mr.  Giles. 

His  deep,  quiet  enjoyment  of  nature  is  embodied  with  much  poetic 

feeling  in  the  following: 

Lake  George,  July  6,  1888. 

I  spend  a  good  part  of  my  time  in  my  tower  up  among  the  treetops 
with  the  birds  and  squirrels.  The  leaves  and  the  birds  sing  to  me,  and 
the  squirrels  chatter  and  perform  their  gymnastics  upon  the  limbs  of  the 
trees.  Through  the  openings  in  the  screen  of  the  leaves  I  look  down 
upon  the  beautiful  lake  and  beyond  upon  the  panorama  of  hills  that 
gird  us  about.  Everything  is  beautiful  and  peaceful,  but  alive  with  a 
kind  of  quiet  joy.  The  lake  sympathizes  with  the  sky,  sleeps  in  deep 
blue  or  green  or  smiles  in  gold,  and  ripples  with  laughter  as  the  winds 
caress  it,  and  it  sparkles  and  flashes  in  the  light.  The  staid  and  sober 
hills  look  down  upon  their  sleeping  or  gently  moving  child  and  fold 
it  in  their  strong  embrace.    It  is  beautiful,  it  is  wonderfully  beautiful! 

At  another  time  he  writes: 

Lake  George,  July  22,  1888. 

It  has  been  a  heavenly  day.  The  lake  has  been  like  a  mirror.  The 
hills  have  drawn  a  soft  veil  over  them  which  has  concealed  the  sharp 
lines  of  their  features  and  given  them  a  dreamy,  spiritual  look.  The 
shadows  of  the  trees  lie  clear  and  light  upon  the  lawn.  In  some  cases 
they  are  not  masses  of  shadows  without  any  form,  but  outlines  of 
trees  framed  in  sunbeams.  As  I  sat  on  the  lawn  this  morning  many 
rowboats  were  gliding  along  the  surface  of  the  mirror,  nearly  all 
pointing  in  one  direction.  A  bell  was  ringing  in  the  steeple  of  a  little 
church  not  far  from  the  shore  and  half  hidden  by  the  trees.  The  boats 
seemed  to  be  drawn  by  the  sound  of  the  bell  as  by  some  charm  which 
they  could  not  resist.  The  people  who  did  not  go  to  church  were  scat- 
tered in  groups  about  the  lawn  with  nurses  and  little  children  whose 
pleasant  voices  filled  the  air.     I  do  not  know  when  I  have  seen  a  more 

-^  394  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

beautiful  sight  or  one  more  in  accord  with  the  peace  of  tlie  day.  I  have 
felt  very  grateful  for  it.  It  was  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  Lord  upon 
the  earth,  a  picture  of  the  peace,  loveliness,  and  rest  of  heaven. 

Always  particularly  happy  when  especially  busy,  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

Philadelphia,  Oct.  29,  1888. 
Our  work  is  very  encouraging,  our  audiences  are  increasing,  and  the 
interest  in  our  work  is  deepening  and  the  work  itself  is  increasing.  The 
Sunday  school  is  a  delight  to  behold.  It  increases  in  numbers  and 
interest,  our  large  room  is  quite  full,  and  young  and  old  are  pleased.  I 
was  occupied  with  some  work  for  the  church  last  week  every  night  but 
one.  There  are  about  fifty  who  meet  for  instruction  every  Monday 
evening.  We  are  studying  tlie  messages  to  the  seven  churches  in  Reve- 
lation, and  there  seems  to  be  much  interest  in  it. 

Two  months  later  a  temporary  stop  was  put  to  Mr.  Giles's  activities 
by  a  fall  upon  the  ice  wiiich  resulted  in  a  broken  rib.  Of  this  accident 
he  writes  in  cheerful  vein: 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  8,  1888. 
The  fifth  of  the  Broken  Rib. 

You  see  I  have  found  a  new  calendar,  a  new  era,  the  beginning  of 

a  new  age,  the  age  of  broken  ribs.     Well,  it  isn't  so  lugubrious  as  it 

might  be.    There  are  many  good  things  about  it. 

1.  The  people  of  this  age  are  not  allowed  to  work.  They  lie  in 
bed  the  most  of  the  time  and  are  compelled  to  be  waited  on.  This 
would  not  be  so  severe  if  you  could  turn  over,  but  you  are  not  allowed 
to  do  that.  You  must  lie  flat  on  your  back,  which  becomes  "  very 
tiresome."    Still,  one  gets  used  to  it. 

2.  It  is  one  of  the  rules  of  this  age  that  we  must  be  supplied  with 
the  most  delicious  viands.  For  example:  one  large  box  white  grapes, 
one  bottle  best  wine,  one  choice  ham,  four  pounds  candied  fruit,  four 
pounds  best  buckwheat,  one  large  bottle  maple  molasses,  one  jar 
brandied  peaches,  four  pounds  finest  oatmeal,  one  thousand  more  or 
less  offers  of  help.  Quantities  of  sympathy:  quant,  suff.  A  large  num- 
ber of  "It  will  be  good  for  yous"  —  "  ^Ou  will  be  ioin[)cilf(J  to  rest.'' 

-<i  395  }i*- 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

Many  threats  that  you  shall  never  go  out  again  alone.  So  all  the  in- 
hal)itants  of  this  age  must  have  a  body  servant.  Many  cautions  about 
stepping  on  the  ice.  I  believe  there  is  to  be  no  more  ice  in  this  age. 
Plenty  of  old  novels  and  new  magazines  to  read  and  the  strictest  guard 
that  you  do  not  tumble  down  again.  The  conditions  of  entering  on  this 
age  are  one  or  more  broken  ribs.  If  you  covet  such  a  dispensation  you 
know  its  terms. 

Without  anticipating  any  such  result,  last  Sunday  evening  as  I  was 
returning  from  Germantown,  where  I  had  been  to  lecture,  and  when 
about  two  squares  from  home,  I,  your  venerable  fatlier,  did  step  un- 
wittingly on  some  ice,  my  feet  went  out  from  under  me,  and  I  came 
down  on  the  pavement  with  a  thud  which  knocked  the  breath  out  of  my 
body  and  broke  one  of  my  ribs.  I  lay  there  sprawling  like  a  turtle  on 
his  back  and  gasping  for  breath.  After  a  while  I  "  pulled  myself  to- 
gether," got  onto  my  hands  and  knees  and  finally  stood  on  my  feet, 
picked  up  my  hat  and  cane  and  walked  home,  concluding  I  was  not  hurt 
much  after  all  and  would  be  all  right  in  the  morning.  So  I  said  nothing 
about  it,  and  went  to  bed.  It  was  after  ten  o'clock  at  night.  But  I 
could  not  sleep  I  was  in  so  much  pain,  and  I  was  obliged  to  confess  in 
the  morning  that  I  could  not  get  up.  Will  examined  me  and  said  one 
of  my  ribs  was  broken.  He  plastered  and  bandaged  me  up,  and  I  have 
been  living  on  the  fat  of  the  land  ever  since.  I  do  not  suffer  very  much 
if  I  keep  still.  But  every  movement  is  painful.  I  am  feeling  more 
comfortable  to-day  than  at  any  time  since  I  entered  on  this  new  age,  and 
hope  to  be  better  than  ever  in  a  few  weeks.  So  you  must  not  worry 
about  me.  I  spend  my  time  between  the  bed  and  "  Sleepy  Hollow," 
and  find  the  change  from  one  to  the  otlier  very  restful.  I  am  taking  my 
ease  with  resignation. 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  11,  1888. 

All  the  members  of  the  family  have  gone  to  church  except  myself. 
Before  they  went  away  I  received  many  injunctions  to  be  "  good  "  while 
they  are  gone.  I  don't  know  how  I  can  be  better  than  to  spend  a  portion 
of  the  time  in  writing  a  letter  to  you.  I  seem  to  have  lost  my  reputation, 
if  I  ever  had  any,  for  being  good.  I  cannot  do  the  least  thing  but  they 
oh!  and  ah!  about  it  as  if  I  were  a  very  naughty  boy.    I  told  Lucy  (the 

-4  396  )§^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

maid)  to  make  a  fire  in  my  study  this  morning,  and  when  your  mother 
came  home  from  market  she  found  me  quietly  reposing  in  my  chair 
before  the  fire  as  innocent  as  a  little  child.  Dear  me!  the  way  she 
went  on  you  would  think  I  had  committed  the  unpardonable  sin  and  was 
going  to  destruction.  The  wonder  was  that  I  did  not  fall  downstairs 
and  break  another  rib,  or  possibly  my  neck.  But  I  didn't.  You  see  I 
get  well  so  fast  tliat  they  can't  understand  it.  I  improve  too  rapidly  to 
suit  them.  It  seems  as  though  they  wanted  me  to  lie  in  bed  a  month. 
But  I  can't.    It's  too  hard  work.    Well,  I  '11  forgive  them. 

The  Book  Association  has  its  annual  meeting  to-night,  when  the 
officers  for  anodier  year  are  chosen.  There  is  to  be  a  spread  of  coffee 
and  ice  cream  and  a  pouring  forth  of  speeches  and  some  odier  good 
things.  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  be  there  to  assist.  I  want  to  interest  our 
people  generally  in  the  work  of  the  Book  Room.  So  we  planned  re- 
freshments and  a  social  meeting,  and  considerable  effort  has  been  made 
to  get  a  good  attendance,  and  I  think  we  shall  succeed. 

I  am  getting  along  very  well,  remarkably  well.  I  can  walk  about  the 
house  without  much  difficulty,  and  suffer  but  little  pain  except  from 
rheumatism,  and  I  hope  to  be  at  work  again  soon.  Indeed  I  believe 
I  do  keep  at  work  all  the  time.  I  can  think  just  as  well  with  a  broken 
rib  as  with  a  sound  one,  and  I  am  trying  to  think  out  some  lectures 
which  I  can  write  and  deliver  when  the  fractured  bone  will  permit. 

Well,  if  I  am  to  be  good  I  must  not  be  too  good,  but  must  stop  writ- 
ing.    So  with  love  to  all  I  say  good  night  and  drop  my  pen. 

Two  days  later,  December  12,  1888,  he  writes  a  letter  to  the  Rev. 
John  Goddard  in  reply  to  one  which  was  received,  in  which  disap- 
pointment at  the  slow  growth  of  the  New  Church  was  expressed. 

Mr.  Goddard  was  the  first  minister  to  remain  for  any  length  of  time 
in  Cincinnati  after  Mr.  Giles  left.  His  pastorate  there  covered  a  period 
of  thirty-five  years.  He  was  and  is  very  much  beloved  by  the  Cincin- 
nati people.  He  now  has  charge  of  the  Newtonville  society,  where  he 
has  been  ever  since  he  left  Cincinnati. 

I  was  much  interested  in  your  letter  because  I  have  l)een  there,  and 
am  now  at  times.  I  have  sometimes  thought  tliat  if  I  were  a  white 
oak  tree  in  a  New  England  pasture  I  should  get  discouraged  and  give 

-^  397  )■>- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

up  trying  to  grow.  The  Lord  works  slowly.  He  is  in  no  hurry.  It  is 
not  size  He  seeks  as  much  as  quality.  I  wonder  at  His  patience.  How 
little  He  did  when  in  the  world!  So  far  as  the  external  organization 
of  a  church,  almost  nothing!  He  planted  the  seed,  however,  which  will 
never  perish.  Men  may  come  and  men  may  go,  but  His  kingdom  will 
go  on  forever.  The  obstacles  to  its  establishment  are  much  greater  than 
we  can  conceive.  We  see  a  few  of  them,  or  think  we  do,  and  are  dis- 
couraged. But  there  is  no  cause  for  it,  except  in  ourselves.  One  cause, 
it  seems  to  me,  is  that  we  look  for  too  superficial  and  immediate  re- 
sults. We  are  only  infinitesimal  parts  of  an  immeasurable  kingdom 
and  all  must  grow  together.  No  germ  cell  can  far  outstrip  another 
without  producing  a  monster  instead  of  a  man,  especially  the  Maximus 
Homo. 

Another  cause  of  discouragement  is  that  we  take  only  the  most  super- 
ficial and  partial  estimate  of  our  forces.  We  leave  almost  every  force 
that  favors  us  out  of  our  account,  —  the  angels,  the  Lord,  and  all  the 
unseen  but  ever  present  and  active  spiritual  forces  which  are  operating 
in  favor  of  building  up  the  Lord's  kingdom.  All  we  can  do  is  to 
scratch  a  little  on  the  surface.  I  sometimes  think  we  are  as  unwise  in 
our  discouragements  as  the  farmer  would  be  who  expected  a  full  ripe 
harvest  to  spring  up  behind  him  when  he  was  sowing  his  seed.  It  is  a 
comforting  and  reassuring  truth  that  they  that  be  for  us  are  more  than 
they  that  be  against  us,  that  the  Lord  is  not  discouraged  if  we  are, 
and  that  the  work  goes  on  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer. 

I  have  been  troubled  some  about  the  "  reason  "  myself,  and  I  suppose 
I  should  be  more  than  I  am  if  I  had  not  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
human  reason,  a  variable  quantity,  must  itself  be  formed  by  truths 
and  can  see  and  judge  no  farther  than  it  knows  principles  and  move- 
ments that  we  cannot  understand  to-day;  some  that  seem  irrational  to 
us  we  may  find,  when  we  can  see  farther  and  more  clearly,  to  be  part 
of  the  Divine  Order  and  essential  to  effecting  the  purposes  of  the  Lord. 
The  most  enlightened  human  wisdom  cannot  see  more  than  an  inch  be- 
yond its  nose,  and  much  of  what  we  can  see  appears  to  be  upside  down. 
So  I  try  to  console  myself  with  the  idea  that  things  may  be  in  good 
form  and  order  even  if  they  do  not  seem  to  me  to  be  so,  and  that  the 

-4  398  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

Lord  knows  what  He  is  about,  knows  what  He  wants  to  do  and  how  to 
do  it. 

Besides,  I  find  this  result  in  my  own  experience.  The  more  I  learn 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Church  the  more  rational  they  appear  to 
me,  and  as  my  reason  improves  I  see  more  clearly  the  Divine  Order 
as  revealed  in  those  doctrines.  So  the  way  grows  brighter  at  every 
step  and  I  am  willing  to  trust  that  it  will  continue  to  do  so. 

I  suppose  you  refer  to  the  doctrine  that  the  Lord  has  made  His  Sec- 
ond Coming.  There  is  some  truth  in  that,  but  it  may  be  held  in  a  way 
to  make  it  an  error.  He  has  made  it;  but  He  has  not  completed  it.  He 
never  finishes  anything  in  the  sense  of  ceasing  to  work  upon  it  and  im- 
prove it.  He  made  man  millions  of  years  ago,  and  yet  He  has  never 
finished  a  man  ami  never  will.  He  is  at  work  now  on  the  first  human 
being,  and  He  will  never  cease  to  work  upon  him.  The  Lord  is  infinite, 
consequently  there  is  no  past  or  future  to  Him.  He  is  forming  a  heaven. 
He  is  constantly  at  work. 

I  like  your  sermon  much.  We  shall  print  ten  thousand  copies  of  it 
and  try  to  get  as  wide  a  circulation  for  it  as  possible.  It  seems  to  me 
to  be  the  best  thing  that  has  been  said  on  the  subject.  I  hope  to  get 
copies  to  you  this  week. 

The  sermon  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the  letter  to  Mr.  Goddard 
is  one  that  was  published  in  the  Helper.  He  also  refers  to  it  in  one  of 
his  family  letters. 

Pilii.ADKLiMiiA,  Dec.  16,  1888. 
By  the  way,  the  Helper  has  been  a  success.  It  has  the  largest  circu- 
lation of  any  New  Church  periodical,  and  is  evidently  perfomiiim  tin- 
use  of  tracts  more  efficiently  under  its  new  name  tlian  the  tracts  tliem- 
selves  as  such.  We  publish  this  week  a  discourse  by  Rev.  John  God- 
dard on  "  Robert  Elsmcre,  or  the  Parting  of  the  Saviour's  Garments," 
which  I  think  is  unusually  good,  and  I  hope  our  people  will  supply 
themselves  with  copies  of  it  to  hand  to  those  who  ask,  "  Have  you  read 
'Robert  Elsmere'  and  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  It  is  the  best  state- 
ment of  the  good  and  evil  of  the  book  and  the  real  meaning  of  it  I  have 
seen.     We  have  printed  ten  thousand  copies  of  tlic  number  and  hope 

-M  399  }•>- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

there  will  be  a  call  for  ten  thousand  more.  It  contains  a  very  good 
statement  of  the  New  Church  doctrine  of  the  Word  besides  what  it  says 
about  "  Robert  Elsmere."     So  it  will  perform  a  double  use. 

The  above  is  the  first  letter  which  mentions  the  Helper.  This  is  a 
periodical  which  developed  from  the  custom  of  printing  Mr.  Giles's 
sermons  every  week.  The  steps  which  led  to  it  are  so  well  expressed 
in  Mr.  Worcester's  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Giles  that  it  seems  best 
to  quote  from  it  verbatim: 

"  Mr.  Giles  saw  great  value  in  tlie  library  and  reading  room  connected 
with  the  church,  and  did  all  that  he  could  to  develop  their  usefulness. 
Here  members  of  the  congregation  and  strangers  could  find  New 
Church  books  and  tracts;  and  here  they  could  meet  for  study  and  vari- 
ous church  interests  through  the  week.  The  uses  of  the  book  room 
were  organized  under  the  name  of  the  "  New  Church  Book  Association 
of  Philadelphia,"  of  which  Mr.  Giles  was  made  President.  The  work 
of  the  "  American  New  Church  Tract  and  Publication  Society "  was 
also  transferred  to  these  rooms,  and  Mr.  Giles  rejoiced  to  see  its  in- 
creasing business  giving  regular  employment  to  many  of  the  young 
people  of  the  church.  These  active  uses  he  saw  would  do  much  to 
strengthen  the  love  for  the  church  and  to  extend  the  influence  of  Sunday 
through  the  week. 

The  Tract  Society  had  been  organized  in  1865,  some  years  before 
Mr.  Giles  came  to  Philadelphia.  Through  the  generous  cooperation 
of  the  publishing  house  of  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  at  a  time  when  the 
works  of  Swedenborg  were  almost  unknown  to  the  public  and  were  re- 
garded with  prejudice  by  religious  teachers,  the  society  had  been  very 
useful  in  publishing  the  books  in  handsome  form  through  the  usual 
channels  of  trade.  Mr.  Giles  was  connected  with  the  society  from  the 
time  of  his  coming  to  Philadelphia,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  T.  S. 
Arthur,  in  1885,  he  became  its  president.  During  the  years  of  his 
association  with  the  society,  and  largely  through  his  influence,  its  work 
greatly  increased,  especially  in  the  publication  of  tracts.  The  print- 
ing of  Mr.  Giles's  sermons  from  week  to  week  led  to  a  regular  weekly 
distribution  through  the  mails,  which  in  time  became  so  large  that  in 

-<■{  400  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

1888  for  convenience  and  economy  the  tracts  were  given  the  form  of 
a  periodical  with  the  title  of  the  Helper.  The  work  continued  to  grow, 
till  a  recent  report  of  the  Tract  Society  showed  an  average  distribution 
of  Helpers  and  other  tracts  for  the  year  of  over  one  thousand  a  day. 

The  publication  of  books  was  meantime  not  neglected.  In  all  this 
work  Mr.  Giles  was  the  leader.  He  always  advocated  printing  as  the 
most  economical  and  effective  means  of  reaching  the  public,  and  did 
much  to  awaken  the  church  to  the  importance  of  this  mode  of  teaching. 
In  recording  their  appreciation  of  Mr.  Giles's  service  in  its  work,  the 
managers  of  the  Tract  Society  said:  "He  has  furnished  the  most  use- 
ful sermons,  lectures  and  books  for  publication;  he  has,  by  his  broad 
sympathies  and  by  his  knowledge  of  the  church  throughout  our  country 
and  abroad,  done  more  than  any  other  to  lift  the  society's  work  above 
mere  local  uses  to  such  as  are  of  service  to  the  church  at  large.  His 
annual  reports,  so  full  of  love  for  tlie  cause  and  of  confidence  in  its 
success,  have  called  lorlh  a  general  cooperation  in  the  work  of  the 
society,  till  it  now  has  friends  and  supporters  wherever  the  New  Church 
is  known." 

The  beginning  of  the  new  year  of  1889  finds  Mr.  Giles  still  conva- 
lescing from  his  broken  rib.  It  was  not  until  the  19th  of  January  that 
he  was  able  to  preach  again,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  fully 
regained  his  strength.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  work  accomplished, 
but  it  was  done  despite  great  drawbacks.  His  diary  records  a  constant 
struggle  to  pursue  his  work  while  suffering  from  headache,  rheumatism, 
and  a  confused  feeling  of  llie  head  in  which  the  brain  acted  with  dilfi- 
culty.  Nevertheless  he  persevered,  and  early  in  llie  year  completetl  a 
book  on  "The  Forgiveness  of  Sin." 

During  the  composition  of  this  and  other  things  such  remarks  as 
these  were  frequent  in  his  diary: 

My  mind  works  slowly  and  I  cannot  get  anything  to  suit  me.  Is  it 
the  right  feeling?  Ought  I  not  to  be  content  when  I  do  the  be>t  I  can, 
even  if  the  result  comes  far  short  of  what  I  could  wisii.'' 

Whii<'  writing,  one  cause  of  dissatisfaction  was  that  he  would  forget 
what  he  had  jireviously  wriltcn.  and  in  conscciut'iicc  repeat  himself. 
His  dogged  perseverance  and  lack  oi  cnjoyincnt  in  the  work  were  well 

— ii  401  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

expressed  in  the  words  "Dig,  dig  widiout  a  spark  of  illumination!" 
There  was  nevertheless  no  idleness. 

A  course  of  lectures  on  Marriage  was  delivered.  These  afterwards 
formed  the  basis  of  the  book,  "The  Sanctity  of  Marriage."  Wliile 
writing  on  "  How  True  Marriages  are  Formed,"  he  says: 

I  am  trying  to  write  a  lecture  and  explain  something  which  I  have 
never  seen  explained  to  my  satisfaction,  and  I  find  much  difficulty  in 
doing  it.  It  is  about  as  hard  to  explain  a  subject  which  requires  spirit- 
ual knowledge  to  one  who  is  only  natural,  as  it  would  be  to  describe 
light  to  a  blind  man  so  that  lie  would  perceive  its  nature. 

A  very  important  movement  in  the  society  this  year  was  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  Association.  This  in  its  turn  joined  the  Gen- 
eral Convention.    Of  this  my  father  writes  as  follows: 

Our  people  are  all  rejoicing  at  the  success  of  our  meeting  to  form 
an  Association  and  at  the  prospect  of  being  connected  with  the  General 
Convention.  I  can  rejoice  with  them.  This  is  tlie  third  society  that  was 
out  of  the  Convention  and  much  opposed  to  it  when  I  became  its  pastor, 
that  is  now  a  member  of  it.  If  we  can  get  it  in  successful  operation 
I  think  it  will  be  of  great  use  to  the  New  Church  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  I  have  never  attended  a  more  delightful  meeting  than  we 
had. 

In  his  diary  on  April  25th  he  records  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Association: 

This  has  been  a  day  long  to  be  remembered  in  our  society.  The 
meeting  convened  to  form  an  Association  of  the  New  Church.  I  de- 
livered my  address,  which  passed  off  much  better  than  I  expected.  The 
singing  was  spirited,  and  there  was  a  good  congregation.  The  Associ- 
ation was  formed  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  society.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  sat  down  to  luncheon. 

This  action  of  the  society  involved  much  correspondence,  and  there 
were  not  only  many  letters  to  write,  but  a  constitution  to  prepare.  The 
work,  with  some  assistance  from  Mr.  McGeorge,  devolved  upon 
Mr.  Giles. 

-4  402  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

It  was  during  Convention  of  this  year,  held  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
in  the  Church  of  Our  Father  (Universalist)  that  Mr.  Giles  advocated 
the  building  by  Convention  of  a  National  Church,  one  that  should  fit- 
tingly represent  the  New  Church  at  our  country's  Capital. 

The  church  of  die  Washington  Society  had  been  destroyed  by  fire, 
February  ninth  of  that  year,  and  as  Convention  was  expected  to  meet 
there,  the  Universalists  kindly  offered  the  use  of  their  church  for  that 
purpose. 

The  following  reflections  from  my  father's  diary  need  no  introduc- 
tion, and  so  are  given  without  further  comment: 

June  2,  1889.  We  are  travelers  into  the  unknown  and  eternal  future. 
There  is  no  fixed  goal  beyond  which  we  cainiot  pass.  Our  padi  is  the 
truths  or  falsities  we  learn.  We  make  our  scenery  and  all  our  environ- 
ment as  we  advance.  Instead  of  going  away  from  it  we  carry  it  with 
us.  It  is  constantly  enlarged  and  varied  and  perfected  by  new  truths, 
and  made  beautiful  and  delightful  by  new  affections,  if  we  are  learning 
truths  and  living  according  to  them.  We  are  traveling  and  yet  we  are 
not  moving  through  space.  We  are  traveling,  and  yet  we  are  at  rest 
in  one  sense.  We  are  obliged  to  use  motion  through  space  to  express 
and  represent  change  of  state.  Yet  tlie  two  are  totally  unlike  one  an- 
other. We  rise  and  yet  we  are  in  the  same  place.  We  advance  and  yet 
we  are  at  rest. 

June  12,  1889.  Old  age  has  some  hard  lessons  to  learn;  one  of  the 
most  difficult,  perhaps,  is  to  moderate  activity  and  adapt  it  to  the  wan- 
ing strength.  I  find  that  I  am  constantly  forgetting  that  I  am  an  old 
man,  tliough  continually  reminded  of  it.  I  am  impatient  witli  my 
body  because  it  will  not  serve  me  as  it  has  in  die  past.  I  am  surprised 
at  its  failure,  and  it  is  difficult  to  become  reconciled  to  il.  I  don't  know 
that  I  ever  shall,  for  I  see  so  nuich  that  I  desire  to  do,  and  some  things 
that  it  seems  as  if  I  could  do  belter.  It  seems  as  if  I  must  do  them. 
I  must  force  the  body  to  do  its  work. 

June  16,  1889.  I  sometimes  wonder  why  I  cannot  realize  spiritual 
things  more  fully.  Wlien  I  Jiray,  why  cannot  I  feel  more  distinctly  that 
the  Lord  is  near  and  that  I  am  addressing  the  glorified  Jesus?  Our 
prayers,  singing,  and  W()rshi|i  need  distinctness.  In  what  a  different 
way  we  ask  the  Lord  for  lavors  than  a  child  appeals  to  its  father  or 

-<■{  403  }S^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

iiiollier.  We  do  not  ask  witli  definite  |juipose  the  lliings  we  beseeeii  Uie 
Lord  to  give  us.  There  is  a  vagueness  about  our  prayers.  It  is  rightly 
called  a  service.  I  sometimes  try  to  come  to  the  Lord  more  directly 
and  with  some  specific  want,  but  I  do  not  succeed  very  well.  Perhaps 
we  can  only  grow  into  this  feeling  of  tlie  nearness  of  the  Lord  and 
of  communion  with  Him.  Perhaps  a  too  clear  perception  of  His  per- 
sonal presence  would  take  away  our  freedom.  We  should  be  over- 
come by  it. 

June  17,  1889.  I  have  done  very  little  to-day.  Perhaps  I  have 
grown  some.  Who  knows!  Growth  is  silent  and  at  the  time  imper- 
ceptible. The  work  of  regeneration  must  be  going  on  all  the  time, 
when  we  rest  as  well  as  when  we  are  active.  It  may  be  that  the  progress 
is  as  rapid  when  we  are  asleep  as  when  we  are  awake,  though  the  action 
is  somewhat  different.  Plants  grow  as  much  at  night  as  in  the  daytime. 
Why  should  not  men?  The  time  we  spend  in  sleep  is  not  lost.  The 
most  important  influences  are  operating  upon  us  unresisted  by  the 
understanding. 

June  18,  1889.  The  least  physical  effort  exhausts  me.  My  physi- 
cal powers  are  rapidly  failing.  Is  not  tliis  dying?  Wlien  we  see  a 
plant  failing,  the  leaves  withering  and  ceasing  to  perform  their  func- 
tions, we  say  it  is  dying.  Why  should  we  not  say  the  same  of  ourselves? 
It  is  equally  true  that  the  failure  of  our  natural  strength  is  a  gradual 
death.  The  physical  organs  can  no  longer  perform  their  functions 
with  their  accustomed  promptness  and  vigor.  Wliy?  Because  the  spirit 
from  which  they  receive  all  their  power  is  leaving  them.  It  is  losing 
its  hold  upon  them.  They  cannot  receive  influx  from  it,  as  a  dying  tree 
cannot  receive  influx  from  the  heat  and  light  of  the  sun.  Loss  of  power 
is  due  to  gradual  death.    Death  is  not  so  dreadful  then. 

June  20,  1889.  I  commenced  writing  a  sermon  this  morning  on 
"  The  Blessedness  of  Faith  in  the  Unseen,"  and  wrote  fourteen  pages  of 
manuscript.  The  subject  has  been  haunting  me  for  some  time.  But 
I  am  not  making  a  success  of  it.  I  cannot  express  it  or  work  it  out  as 
I  hoped. 

As  my  natural  memory  closes  I  find  myself  coming  into  the  state  of 
spirits  and  angels  as  described  by  Swedenborg;  I  cannot  write  from 

-^  404  }§«"- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

memory.  Ideas  come  as  I  begin  to  write,  —  sometimes  new  ones,  some- 
times in  unexpected  forms.  What  I  write  or  teach  must  be  more  from 
influx  into  my  mind  as  already  organized  than  from  any  new  regions 
of  knowledge,  though  the  understanding  and  will  may  be  constantly 
perfected.  Every  one  must  have  his  limits.  The  mind  will  not  go  on 
expanding  in  circumference,  but  perfecting  in  quality,  and  to  that  tliere 
will  be  no  end. 

I  try  to  keep  my  mind  open  to  the  reception  of  new  ideas.  I  try  to 
think  of  them  as  gifts  to  me  from  the  Lord,  and  the  angels,  and  to  offer 
tlianks  for  them,  and  not  to  claim  them  as  my  own.  It  is  only  the  love 
of  self  that  does  this.  How  strong  and  deep  it  is!  I  do  try  to  subdue 
it.    May  the  Lord  help  me  to  put  it  under  my  feet. 

June  24,  1889.  Duties  faithfully  done  from  right  motives  are  means 
of  spiritual  growth.  This  idea  of  growing  is  one  that  ought  to  be  em- 
phasized more  than  it  is.  All  growth  goes  on  in  quiet  and  silence. 
We  must  provide  the  food  and  keep  in  a  proper  state,  and  the  Lord  will 
cause  the  growth.  It  is  not  done  by  any  effort  on  our  part.  This  is 
a  truth  we  ought  to  know.  It  is  not  by  our  might  but  by  the  Lord's 
spirit.    His  love,  like  the  heat  of  the  sun,  causes  all  growth. 

July  1, 1889.  I  have  read  a  little  in  "'  Anna  Karenina,"  and  find  some 
states  of  a  lover's  mind  which  are  true  to  nature  and  which  I  have 
never  seen  described  before.  I  brought  a  few  of  Tolstoi's  books  with 
me,  which  I  propose  to  read  and  learn  if  I  can  what  lli(>re  is  in  them  that 
is  so  remarkable.  They  must  be  inloresling  as  the  |)roiluct  of  a  Russian 
mind.  I  have  been  diligently  reading  "Anna  Karenina."  What  a  pas- 
sionate, lovely,  and  foolish  woman  she  was!  The  married  people  are 
of  a  remarkably  jealous  nature.  Some  of  the  scenes  are  wonderfully 
drawn.  Levin  is  an  interesting  character  and  quite  naturallv  devel- 
oped. He  grows  upon  me,  and  some  of  his  opinions  are  (juile  remark- 
able for  one  who  has  never  heard  of  the  New  Church.  He  is  a  good 
example  of  the  manner  in  which  the  new  light  is  dawning  upon  men's 
minds,  though  in  im])erfect  forms.  One  acquainted  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  New  Church  can  see  the  gropings  and  failures,  as  a  man  whose 
eyes  are  open  can  see  the  gropings  of  a  blind  man  and  how  he  misses 
the  objects  he  is  seeking.    Rut  those  who  cannot  see  and  are  only  reach- 

--•b{  405  )i»- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

ing  after  the  truth  may  be  in  a  better  spiritual  state  and  have  more 
spiritual  life  than  those  who  can  see  but  are  content  with  that. 

July  7,  1889.  Every  sentence  in  the  Word  is  written  for  every  one 
and  describes  what  is  or  may  be  in  us.  It  describes  the  evil  we  may 
become  and  the  suffering  we  must  endure,  or  the  heavenly  states  we  may 
gain  and  the  good  we  may  enjoy.  If  we  could  read  the  Word  with 
this  idea  of  its  personal  application  to  us  it  would  have  a  much  more 
powerful  influence  upon  us. 

Abstract  and  impersonal  conception  of  the  truth  robs  it  of  the  most 
of  its  power.  The  principle  applies  to  preaching.  Our  preaching  lacks 
personal  application.  We  talk  about  things,  about  doctrines,  and  when 
it  is  done  in  a  pleasant  way  the  people  are  pleased.  They  are  charmed 
with  beautiful  rhetoric,  witli  a  graceful  manner,  and  with  a  powerful 
description  of  abstract  evils  and  falses.  But  there  is  not  enough  of 
"  Thou  art  the  man." 

I  was  thinking  this  morning  before  I  arose  about  writing  some  practi- 
cal articles  or  sermons  for  the  Helper  that  people  must  apply  to  them- 
selves and  that  would  be  helpful  to  them.  Could  1  not  write  some  little 
treatises  on  such  subjects  as  these:  "How  to  Bear  Disappointment"; 
"How  to  Assuage  Sorrow  and  Bereavement";  "How  to  be  Happy"; 
"How  to  Overcome  Evil  in  Ourselves";  "How  to  Bear  Prosper- 
ity " ;  "  How  to  Get  the  Most  Good  out  of  what  we  Possess."  They 
might  be  published  in  the  form  of  little  books  about  the  size  of  our 
pocket  editions  and  sold  for  ten  cents.  These  subjects  suggest  them- 
selves: "How  to  Bear  Poverty";  "How  to  Bear  Sickness";  "How  to 
Get  the  Most  Good  out  of  our  Social  Relations";  "How  to  Find  Bless- 
ings in  Domestic  Life";  "  How  to  Get  the  Most  Good  out  of  Labor." 

Some  of  them  might  be  written  in  the  form  of  a  story,  or  anecdotes 
might  be  introduced  to  illustrate  the  principle.  How  easy  it  is  to  think 
of  things  to  do!  How  much  easier  than  to  do  them!  But  if  they  could 
be  done  even  in  a  moderate  degree  of  excellence  they  might  be  useful. 
Shall  I  try?  The  whole  secret  of  happiness  lies  in  doing  good  to  others. 
The  two  great  commandments  are  the  key  to  happiness  in  every  form. 
Tliey  open  the  door  to  every  good.  That  would  be  as  useful  as  "  The 
Magic  Spectacles  "  or  any  other  of  the  Wonderful  Books.     I  certainly 

-4  406 }?«...- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

could  write  a  Christmas  story  for  the  children  on  the  subject,  "The 
Magic  Key."    Let  me  think  of  it. 

On  July  8,  1889,  a  sultry  day,  he  writes: 

The  trees  sway  gently,  as  though  moved  by  a  peaceful  feeling,  and  the 
leaves  quiver  with  a  quiet  joy.  They  make  no  noise;  only  the  poplars 
occasionally  rattle  as  with  senseless  laughter,  a  kind  of  giggling  which 
suggests  motion  without  sense.  Every  tree  has  its  voice,  and  when  a 
large  number  is  strongly  moved  it  is  like  an  anthem.  To-day  the  trees 
do  not  "'clap  tlieir  hands."  They  are  moved  with  a  deep  and  quiet  joy 
which  too  much  motion  and  noise  would  disturb. 

If  we  could  only  live  in  the  continual  consciousness  that  what  we  call 
nature  is  a  constant  creation  by  the  Lord  and  the  infinitely  variable  and 
varying  expression  of  His  love  and  wisdom,  how  full  and  rich  in  moan- 
ing it  would  be! 

July  11,  1889.  How  will  it  be  when  we  pass  out  of  time  and  meas- 
ure continuously  by  state?  I  suppose  the  change  will  seem  very  small 
to  us.  Indeed,  I  presume  we  shall  not  notice  it.  But  it  will  be  a  great 
change  in  principle.  We  shall  live  in  tlie  present.  We  shall  not  dwell 
in  the  past  or  fear  for  tlie  morrow.  Nothing  will  be  artificial  or  facti- 
tious or  arbitrary.  There  will  be  no  external  obstacles  to  overcome. 
Life  will  be  the  unfolding  of  what  we  have  become  by  our  deeds  in  this 
world.  We  shall  be  in  our  place  and  doing  our  work  and  enjoying 
what  we  have  the  capacity  to  enjoy.  We  shall  live  witli  those  we  love. 
Our  place  will  be  the  one  we  are  preparing  here.  How  important  be- 
yond the  measure  of  any  earthly  possession  does  this  great  fact  make 
our  conduct  in  this  life.  We  are  laying  the  foundation  on  wliicli  we  are 
to  build  forever. 

July  15,  1889.  1  have  been  reading  more  about  Swedenborg.  Tlie 
more  I  read  the  more  wonderful  he  seems.  He  certainly  was  tlie  most 
remarkable  man  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge.  He  ranges  through 
all  the  planes  of  the  iTcation  and  was  great  in  every  one.  The  time 
must  come  when  he  will  find  his  true  \)\nvv  in  the  scientific  and  religious 
world.  I  feel  as  tliough  I  would  like  to  make  a  constant  study  of  his 
character.      i?ul   what  he  revealed   is   miicli   more   important  tlian  the 

-^  407  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

man  himself.  He  did  not  obtrude  himself.  He  is  the  most  impersonal 
of  men.  He  makes  no  claim  for  himself  for  his  agency  in  communicat- 
ing truth.  He  only  asks  attention  to  the  truth  itself.  He  was  the  most 
unassuming  and  modest  of  men.  But  what  a  service  he  rendered  to 
humanity!  He  has  revealed  a  new  world,  a  spiritual  world,  to  men. 
He  has  opened  the  way  and  provided  the  means  for  the  elevation  of  man 
to  a  new  plane  of  life. 

July  18,  1889.  The  ground  is  covered  with  the  blossoms  of  the 
chestnut  trees.  The  workmen  are  raking  them  off  and  they  make  quite 
a  windrow.  They  have  done  their  work  and  now  they  pass  away  and 
cease  to  hinder  the  work  of  forming  the  fruit.  Is  it  not  so  with  the 
natural  facts,  the  material  ideas  in  the  growth  of  our  owti  minds  and 
in  every  deed  we  do?  We  gain  the  reason,  the  way,  of  doing  things. 
We  learn  facts,  we  arrange  and  compare  them  and  use  them  in  ac- 
complishing our  work.  But  when  we  begin  to  work  our  mind  is  not 
occupied  with  the  reason  but  with  the  work.  The  natural  ideas  and  rea- 
sons have  faded  away  and  are  set  aside.  They  have  not  fallen  from 
us  as  the  leaves  and  blossoms  do,  but  they  are  laid  away  out  of  sight 
of  our  consciousness,  where  they  caimot  disturb  the  action  of  the  higher 
faculties.  They  have  done  their  work  for  the  occasion  and  that  goes 
on.  They  have  labored  and  other  men  have  entered  into  their  labors. 
So  the  process  of  life  goes  on.     How  wonderful ! 

Tile  same  principle  applies  to  the  decay  of  tlie  material  body.  It 
is  a  blossom  which  performs  an  essential  service;  and  when  it  has  fin- 
ished its  use,  when  it  has  done  all  it  can  for  us,  it  fades  and  falls  away, 
and  leaves  us  free  from  its  encumbrance.    "  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf." 

We  can  thus  see  in  nature  as  in  a  perfect  mirror  the  principles  and 
methods  of  Infinite  Wisdom  in  accomplishing  His  purposes.  Na- 
ture is  His  book,  and  every  object,  every  relation,  every  change  is  a 
letter  or  word  or  sentence  which  reveals  His  heavenly  wisdom.  How 
beautiful  and  instructive  it  would  be  if  we  understood  it  and  would 
voluntrarily  practise  the  truth  we  learn  from  it!  The  works  of  the 
Lord  would  be  a  constant  revelation  of  His  wisdom  and  loving  care  for 
the  happiness  of  men. 

July  23,  1889.     I  have  been  reading  some  in  Tolstoi's  "Confes- 

-^  408  ^~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

sions."  He  was  a  remarkable  man.  His  struggles  for  light  showed 
how  earnestly  he  desired  tlie  truth.  If  he  could  have  had  Swedenborg 
it  seems  as  though  he  must  have  received  the  doctrines  of  the  New 
Church.  He  must  find  the  light  in  the  end.  No  sincere  seeker  for  the 
truth  ever  fails  to  find  it.  This  is  one  of  the  comforting  doctrines  of 
the  New  Church.  If  they  do  not  find  it  in  this  world  they  will  in  the 
next.  The  love  of  good  begets  the  truth.  It  creates  it,  as  the  germ 
in  the  seed  creates  the  tree,  its  leaves  and  blossoms.  So  where  there 
is  a  real  love  of  the  truth  the  truth  must  come.  It  is  a  seed  that 
has  life  in  it  and  it  must  move.  There  are  many  persons  in  the  state 
of  Tolstoi. 

July  26,  1889.  To-day  has  been  like  all  the  rest.  I  am  more  im- 
pressed with  the  idea  that  life  is  growth.  The  events  of  life  are  no 
more  to  us  than  storms  and  cold  to  a  tree.  Tliey  may  retard  or  acceler- 
ate growth  for  a  time,  but  they  are  only  incidental  and  temporary  agen- 
cies in  causing  it.  Growtli  takes  place  in  the  quiet  sunshine,  in  the 
night,  and  even  in  winter  it  is  said  the  roots  of  trees  grow.  So  regenera- 
tion, or  the  growth  of  the  spiritual  degree  of  the  mind  as  well  as  of 
the  material  body,  goes  on  while  we  are  asleep  and  at  rest  and  about  our 
daily  duties.  The  truths  we  learn  and  the  affections  we  exercise  are 
the  food  we  eat  and  the  water  we  drink;  they  are  the  material  out  of 
which  the  spiritual  mind  is  organized.  But  the  organization  goes  on 
while  we  are  unconscious  of  it,  like  the  digestion  of  our  material  food. 

August  3,  1889.  When  I  read  I  can  understand  what  I  read  as  well 
or  better  than  I  ever  could,  but  I  cannot  recall  the  words.  But  I  sup- 
pose it  may  be  of  some  use  to  me.  The  ideas  excited  and  formed  by 
reading  must  remain  and  become  a  part  of  the  mind. 

Tliere  may  be  something  better  in  this  slate  than  we  can  understand 
and  appreciate.  When  we  think  from  words  we  lliink  from  memory. 
When  we  think  from  affection  we  think  from  the  more  interior  forms 
of  the  mind,  from  what  we  have  made  our  own  by  life.  Wlien  we  read 
we  do  not  accumulate  new  material  so  much  as  we  make  it  the  occasion 
of  using  what  we  have,  and  building  it  into  the  organic  forms  of  the 
mind.  If  this  is  so,  reading  is  useful  even  if  we  cannot  remember  the 
words.     It  is  an  external  means  of  exercising  the  mind  and  awakening 

~«{  409  }■*•- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

the  affections.  It  assists  in  the  process  of  life  and  so  it  must  be  of  some 
use.  It  is  to  the  mind  what  exercise  for  health  is  to  the  body.  I  must 
not  be  discouraged  then. 

August  9,  1889.  I  have  often  woiulorcd  what  would  cause  my  final 
release  from  die  material  body  and  departure  from  the  material  world. 
I  think  I  know  now.  It  will  be  the  failure  of  the  heart,  and  probably 
it  will  come  suddenly.  This  is  just  as  I  would  choose  to  have  it.  Wlien 
I  have  finished  my  work  here  I  would  like  to  depart  at  once.  But  still 
we  do  not  know  what  is  best  for  us.  So  I  would  like  to  have  it  at  the 
time  and  place  and  in  the  manner  the  Lord  sees  best  for  me. 

August  10,  1889.  The  true  way  to  work  is  without  any  reference  to 
time;  that  is,  to  do  to-day  what  our  hands  find  to  do  without  any  refer- 
ence to  the  past  or  future.  This  is  the  true  mental  position.  This  is 
the  state  we  shall  be  in  in  the  spiritual  world.  We  shall  be  wholly  ab- 
sorbed in  the  present.  The  present  is  eternity.  Like  travelers  on  the 
ocean  we  do  not  pass  through  our  horizon;  we  carry  it  with  us.  There 
is  no  appearance  of  going  from  place  to  place.  There  is  no  place  ex- 
cept where  we  are.  We  must  do  our  work  as  the  screw  of  the  steamship 
does;  we  must  keep  turning  where  we  are.  If  we  could  do  this  we 
should  accomplish  much  more  than  we  do. 

August  12,  1889.  I  received  a  number  of  letters  to-day.  Among 
them  one  from  a  man  who  desires  to  publish  a  book  of  extracts  from 
my  tracts,  to  be  called  "  Living  Thoughts "  by  Chauncey  Giles.  He 
will  make  the  extracts  and  put  his  name  to  the  book  as  the  compiler, 
and  do  the  whole  work  and  be  responsible  for  its  issue  through  the 
press.  He  thinks  it  would  be  useful.  He  says  his  only  motive  is  to 
make  the  trudi  known  to  a  wider  circle  of  readers  than  have  been 
reached. 

The  man  who  proposes  to  do  this  is  James  R.  Gilmore,  who  is  an 
author  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  Edmund  Kirke. 

I  do  not  know  that  there  is  any  objection  to  it.  Such  a  book  might 
be  useful  to  some  people  in  leading  them  to  the  New  Church.  I  have 
found  two  instances  in  which  my  article  in  "  Tliat  Unknown  Country  " 
has  had  that  effect.  The  Lord  uses  all  kinds  of  means  to  make  known 
His  new  truths  to  men. 

-^  410  )§e- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

The  following  is  from  a  letter: 

Lake  Gkorce,  August  16,  1889. 

I  have  succeeded  for  once  in  my  life  in  creating  a  sensation.  For 
a  few  days  I  think  I  have  been  the  subject  of  more  conversation  than 
any  man  in  the  Sagamore.  All  my  preaching  never  had  half  the  effect. 
I  did  not  know  that  it  was  so  easy  to  excite  general  attention.  "  It  is 
just  as  easy  as  rolling  off  a  log."  It  did  consist  of  rolling  out  of  my 
boat  into  the  lake.  The  great  event  occurred  on  Tuesday.  I  must  note 
it  down  and  fix  it  as  one  of  the  great  land-  (or  water-)  marks  in  my  life. 
When  I  came  in  from  rowing  the  men  who  attend  to  the  boats  did  not 
see  me.  I  waited  a  while,  and  as  they  did  not  come  I  concluded  to  get 
out  williout  their  assistance.  I  succeeded  admirably  in  doing  it.  I 
found  no  difficulty  in  getting  out  of  the  boat.  But  instead  of  landing  on 
the  dock  I  got  into  the  water.  A  gentleman  who  saw  the  performance, 
and  one  of  the  boatmen,  ran  to  my  assistance  and  pulled  me  out.  They 
had  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds  of  flesh  and  blood  to  lift,  and  I 
don't  know  how  many  pounds  of  water.  I  was  thoroughly  soaked,  —  at 
least  my  clothes  were.  I  slowly  made  my  dripping  way  to  my  room. 
Your  mother,  who  was  unconscious  of  the  sensation  I  had  created  and 
the  great  amount  of  water  I  was  bringing  her,  exclaimed,  "  ^1\\,  Mr. 
Giles,  you  look  wet!  " 

The  drenched  garments  were  soon  replaced  by  dry  ones  and  I  was 
quite  refreshed  after  my  bath.  No  unpleasant  consequences  resulted 
from  it  but  the  notoriety  occasioned  by  llie  performance. 

At  the  meeting  of  Convention  in  June,  the  committee  appointed  for 
the  |)urp()sc  reported  the  purchase,  for  the  use  of  the  Theological 
School,  of  the  Sparks  estate  in  Cambridge. 

Mr.  Giles,  who  had  come  to  Boston  to  attend  the  opening  exercises, 
thus  describes  them  in  a  letter: 

September  26,  1889. 

The  trustees  have  purchased  a  beautiful  piece  of  ground  containing 
sixty  thousand  square  feet.  There  is  a  good  house  on  it  which  will 
accommodate  the  students  for  dormitories  and  recitation  rooms  for 
some  years  to  come.  It  seems  to  !)o  the  most  im|i()rtanf  step  the  Church 
has  taken  to  provide  ministers  to  instruct  and  lead  her. 

-•€4411)3— 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

It  was  a  rainy  and  unpleasant  day;  there  were  about  one  hundred 
people  present,  as  many  as  the  room  could  comfortably  seat.  The 
exercises  consisted  of  reading  from  the  Word,  singing,  prayer,  and 
short  addresses.  Rev.  T.  F.  Wright,  who  is  a  professor  in  the  school 
and  will  have  special  charge  of  it,  led  in  the  exercises,  but  under  the 
direction  of  Rev.  John  Worcester,  the  President,  who  delivered  a  short 
but  excellent  address.  Other  addresses  were  by  Rev.  S.  F.  Dyke, 
C.  Giles,  and  Mr.  Dewson.  The  people  were  much  interested  and  felt 
that  a  good  work  had  been  initiated. 

In  tlie  afternoon  we  had  another  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Missions 
and  completed  our  work.  We  voted  to  raise  five  thousand  dollars  this 
year  and  to  recommend  to  all  the  societies  of  the  New  Church  to  take 
up  a  collection  for  the  benefit  of  the  Board  on  the  last  Sunday  in 
October. 

I  think  that  the  meeting  has  been  a  useful  one,  and  that  we  have 
taken  some  steps  towards  placing  tlie  work  of  the  Board  on  a  more 
stable  basis  and  given  it  the  means  of  doing  more  work. 

West  Newton,  Sept.  28,  1889.  We  drove  over  to  Waltham  yesterday 
and  called  upon  Mr.  Benjamin  Worcester  at  the  school.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful day.  He  is  devoting  himself  with  great  industry  and  success  to 
his  school,  and  as  far  as  I  can  see  he  is  doing  a  good  work.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  school  I  would  prefer  for  a  son  or  daughter. 

I  called  on  Mr.  John  Worcester  this  morning  and  had  a  long  talk 
with  him  about  Church  affairs.  He  is  working  with  entire  devotion  to 
the  Church  and  is  exerting  a  good  influence  upon  it. 

In  the  following,  from  the  diary,  Mr.  Giles  makes  the  first  mention 
of  "  Why  I  am  a  New  Churchman  " : 

Philadelphia,  October  5,  1889.  I  spent  some  time  to-day  in  block- 
ing out  a  little  book  or  lecture  which  I  hope  may  be  of  use  in  making 
known  the  principles  of  the  New  Church.  It  may  be  called  "  Why  I 
am  a  New  Churchman."  I  think  I  can  put  the  principles  of  the  New 
Church  in  a  more  simple  and  perhaps  attractive  form  than  by  a  merely 
doctrinal  statement.  The  subject  grows  upon  me  as  I  consider  it,  and 
I  am  encouraged  to  hope  that  it  may  be  one  way  of  performing  a  use  to 

-4  412  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

the  Church.  Certainly  every  New  Churchman  ought  to  be  able  to  give 
a  good  reason  for  his  faith.  Such  a  little  treatise  may  help  others  to 
know  and  be  able  to  tell  why  they  are  New  Churchmen.  I  am  deter- 
mined to  carry  it  out  as  well  as  I  can,  and  to  state  the  principles  of  the 
New  Church  as  clearly  and  sharply  as  possible.  I  will  take  my  time 
and  to  the  extent  of  my  ability  I  will  make  it  a  useful  work.  The  sub- 
ject is  simmering  and  taking  shape.  I  mean  to  consider  it  carefully 
and  not  be  in  haste  in  putting  it  into  print. 

Mr.  Giles  became  so  interested  in  this  that  he  set  himself  the  task  of 
writing  one  tliousand  words  a  day.     He  says: 

I  did  my  quota  of  one  thousand  words  to-day.  It  seems  a  little  tough 
when  one  sits  down,  but  the  ideas  come  and  tlie  work  is  soon  accom- 
plished. How  much  might  be  done  if  this  course  were  pursued.  I 
feel  quite  ashamed  sometimes  when  I  think  how  little  I  have  accom- 
plished. I  might  have  done  much  more  for  die  children  by  writing 
stories  for  them,  for  which  I  had  some  talent.  But  I  had  no  early  train- 
ing and  I  have  stumbled  along  the  most  of  my  life.  But  by  systematic 
work  I  might  have  done  much  more.  I  may  do  some  more  yet.  But 
who  can  change  his  habits  after  seventy-six?  "  Can  the  leopard  change 
his  spots?"    Well,  I  will  keep  poking  along  a  little  longer. 

On  Dec.  11,  1889,  he  mentions  the  formation  of  a  Young  People's 
League: 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Young  People  to  organ- 
ize a  society  for  social  and  spiritual  purposes.  A  large  number 
was  present  and  a  good  si)irit  prevailed  with  an  eanicst  purpose  to  do 
some  work.  I  think  it  is  a  good  movement  and  one  that  will  result  in 
great  use  to  those  who  engage  in  it,  and  to  the  Church.  Young  people 
should  have  responsibilities  placed  u|u)n  llicm  and  work  given  them 
for  which  they  are  accountable  as  soon  as  ihey  are  able  to  |)erforni  any 
use.  This  is  the  only  way  in  which  they  can  be  trained  to  work  for  the 
Church.  Old  men  do  not  like  new  inclhods.  They  get  into  ruts  and 
move  slowly. 

~«(  413  }rt- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

When  making  a  missionary  trip  to  Savannah  he  stopped  over  in 
Washington.  Mr.  Sewall  called  in  the  evening  and  he  had  a  long  talk 
with  him  about  the  Church  and  its  affairs.     He  says: 

The  people  are  much  delighted  with  him.  The  attendance  at  church 
has  doubled  since  he  came  and  they  seem  quite  encouraged  to  hope 
that  a  new  day  is  dawning  on  the  Society. 

The  days  in  Savannah  were  very  busy  ones.  Mr.  Giles  spoke  twice 
on  Sunday,  gave  two  lectures  during  the  week,  besides  an  informal 
talk  (by  request)  on  the  "Spiritual  World"  at  a  social  meeting.  One 
night  he  sat  up  very  late  and  talked  with  a  man  who  does  not  believe 
there  is  any  life  after  this.  He  says:  "  It  did  not  do  me  any  harm  and 
I  don't  know  that  it  did  him  any  good."    He  adds: 

I  am  getting  acquainted  with  the  people  and  I  think  my  coming  will 
be  useful  to  them.  They  need  help  in  many  other  ways  than  simply  to 
have  the  doctrines  preached  to  them.  They  need  encouragement  to 
work  and  to  interest  themselves  personally  in  the  church,  and  they  have 
much  of  the  Southern  latitude  helplessness. 

I  tried  to  encourage  them  to  engage  in  work  for  the  church  with  the 
hope  that  they  would  surely  succeed  in  accomplishing  something. 
Their  past  experience  is  proof  of  this.  I  exhorted  them  above  all  things 
to  let  no  special  view  of  truth  divide  them,  but  to  stand  on  common 
ground  and  cling  together  and  work  together.    So  I  bade  them  farewell. 

In  Jacksonville  he  received  a  very  cordial  reception  and  spoke  both 
morning  and  evening,  as  he  had  at  Savannah.  At  the  close  of  his 
letter  he  says: 

I  think  I  have  done  the  people  good  at  Savannah  and  here  by  coming. 
But  I  believe  I  can  be  as  useful  at  home  as  anywhere.  A  sermon  pub- 
lished in  the  Helper  or  as  a  tract  reaches  so  many  more  people  than  I 
can  reach  with  my  voice  that  I  am  inclined  to  think  I  can  perform  a 
greater  use  by  writing  for  the  press  and  preaching  at  home  than  in  any 
other  way.  So  when  I  return  you  may  expect  to  keep  me  for  some  time, 
—  until  after  the  holidays,  at  least. 

-4.  414  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1887-1889 

In  November  Mr.  Giles  went  to  Preston,  Maryland,  to  dedicate  a 
small  church  there.  Besides  Uie  morning  service  he  lectured  in  the 
evening.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Alexander  drove  twenty-two  miles  to 
attend  the  meeting  and  be  baptized.  Mr.  Giles  was  much  affected  by 
this  circumstance. 

After  his  return  to  Philadelphia  he  writes: 

Reached  home  a  little  after  eight,  very  weary  but  very  glad  I  could 
go.  Nothing  gives  me  so  much  pleasure  as  working  for  the  Church. 
I  hope  to  be  permitted  to  engage  in  it  forever. 

This  friendly  response  to  Christmas  greetings  was  cherished  for 
many  years  by  its  recipient.    Though  short,  it  is  very  characteristic. 

December  30,  1889. 

So,  Miss  Beatrice,  you  wish  me  a  Merry  Christmas!     Thank  you. 

I  did  have  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  that  is  almost  as  good  as  a  merry  one. 

I  thank  you  for  your  kind  remembrance.     I  will  keep  your  good  wishes 

and  return  them  also.     So  neither  of  us  will  lose,  but  both  will  gain. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  he  writes  in  his  diary: 

December  31,  1889.  I  want  to  acknowledge  in  heart  and  life  that  all 
my  power  is  a  constant  gift  from  the  Lord,  and  no  credit  to  me  for 
anything  I  have  done. 


-•^  415  )s— 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

Philadelphu  Pastorate,  1890-1891 

X  HE  year  opens  with  a  very  characteristic  entry  in  the  diary.  It  is 
an  instance  of  his  frequent  use  of  natural  things  to  illustrate  spiritual 
trutli: 

Jan.  3,  1890.  I  like  to  write.  Thoughts  come  to  me  as  I  begin  which 
I  was  not  conscious  of  before.  Wlien  the  stream  begins  to  flow  it 
brings  with  it  new  ideas.  Strike  the  keys  and  some  kind  of  harmony 
or  discord  is  the  result.  It  is  an  important  truth  that  each  of  us  is 
only  an  instrument  as  truly  as  an  organ,  but  with  power  constantly 
given  us  to  open  the  stops.  When  we  do  the  life  flows  in.  We  close  them 
too  much  towards  heaven  and  open  them  too  much  towards  the  earth 
and  hell.  By  the  knowledge  we  gain  and  the  affections  we  exercise  we 
are  giving  variety  and  quality  to  the  pipes  and  strings  of  our  spiritual 
organs.  We  are  bringing  them  into  the  harmonies  of  the  Divine  order 
or  we  are  so  disarranging  and  deforming  them  that  they  cannot  vibrate 
in  harmony  with  the  inflowing  life  or  with  one  another. 

Jan.  5,  1890.  This  has  been  an  unpleasant  day  outwardly.  Mr. 
Worcester  preached  in  the  morning  to  a  fair  congregation  considering 
the  weather  and  the  general  sickness.  The  subject  of  his  sermon  was 
"  Patience."  It  was  useful  to  me,  for  I  am  an  impatient  man,  and 
I  have  great  difficulty  in  overcoming  the  evil.  Some  things  he  said  I 
think  will  help  me. 

Jan.  7,  1890.  And  there  shall  not  be  any  more  pain.  Wliat  a  de- 
lightful prospect  for  the  future.  No  more  pain.  I  have  not  been  free 
from  pain  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Some  of  the  time  it  has  been 
intense.  To  be  free  from  it!  I  hardly  know  what  I  should  do.  I 
might  act  in  a  very  absurd  way,  cut  up  all  sorts  of  antics.  But  there  is 
no  danger  while  I  live  in  this  house  of  clay.  The  use  of  pain  might 
be  a  good  subject  for  a  discourse. 

-4  416  }>- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

Jan.  29,  1890.  I  have  not  felt  like  work  to-day.  Ought  I  to  do 
so?  Ought  we  to  be  always  working  with  all  our  might  whether  we  feel 
like  it  or  not?  Sometimes  I  think  we  work  too  hard.  It  is  drive,  drive, 
drive.  I  notice  in  the  account  Swedenborg  gives  of  the  people  of  other 
planets  he  does  not  say  much  about  their  being  industrious.  They  must, 
of  course,  be  useful.  But  is  there  not  a  higher  use  than  driving  at  some 
task?  Is  it  not  as  useful  to  converse  with  friends  and  help  them  in  a 
social  and  pleasant  way  as  it  is  to  dig  long  hours  at  any  work?  I  am 
not  sure  but  it  is  so. 

Feb.  2,  1890.  I  wrote  the  introduction  to  my  new  booklings  and  read 
some  in  the  Ibsen  plays.  They  all  went  to  church  and  I  was  at  home 
alone.  I  am  afraid  I  am  not  going  to  be  able  to  do  much  more  work; 
but  I  feel  as  though  I  could  say  more  and  belter  things  than  I  have  ever 
done.  Perhaps  not.  What  am  I  but  an  infinitesimal  grain  in  the  uni- 
verse of  humanity?  What  difference  does  it  make  whether  I  speak 
or  not?  It  must  make  some.  The  largest  masses  are  composed  of 
infinitely  small  particles.  The  quality  of  the  vvliolc  depends  u])on  the 
quality  and  order  of  the  least.  "He  that  is  faitlilul  in  that  which  is 
least  is  faithful  also  in  much."  My  happiness  depends  upon  my  faith- 
fulness in  doing  my  little  work. 

Feb.  4,  1890.  The  sameness  of  life  is  wonderful.  But  how  wisely 
it  is  ordered  that  it  is  so!  If  the  changes  were  great  and  rapid  we  should 
be  in  a  constant  whirl.  There  would  be  no  continuity  in  liic.  As  it  is 
we  do  change  every  day.  But  one  state  grows  out  of  anotlier  in  such 
a  natural  and  orderly  way  that  there  seems  to  be  great  uniformity. 
There  is  variety  in  uniformity,  change  in  stability.  There  is  something 
constant  by  which  to  measure  the  change.  But  there  is  a  new  shade 
of  color  and  enlargement  of  fortn  and  dcvcldiimcnt  of  some  particu- 
lars. And  yet  it  is  the  same  tree,  the  same  person,  and  still  not  the 
same.  So  we  shall  go  on  to  eternity.  Of  what  we  may  become  we  can 
have  no  conception  now.  Our  highest  wisdom  consists  in  doing  our 
duty  to-day.  "  He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful  also 
in  much."  All  growth  lakes  place  in  the  least.  That  is  the  difference 
between  growth  and  creation,  the  difference  between  life  and  death. 

Feb.  7,  1890.     I  read  some  in  ■'Rosemary  and   Hue"  by  Lowell. 

~«{  417  )g— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

He  says  many  things  wonderfully  well.  He  has  many  classical  and  del- 
icate allusions  which  adorn  and  enhance  the  interest  of  his  poems,  hut 
they  do  not  appeal  to  the  affections.  I  think  he  fails  there,  and  for 
this  reason  his  writings  will  never  he  so  popular  as  Longfellow's. 

I  read  some  in  "  Heaven  and  Hell.'  What  a  world-wide  difference 
between  that  and  any  other  book  on  the  same  subject!  There  is  a  sim- 
plicity, directness,  and  power  about  it  which  can  be  found  nowhere 
else  in  any  work  by  any  other  man.  While  it  purports  to  be  a  statement 
of  "  things  seen  and  heard  "  in  the  spiritual  world,  it  is  as  logical  as 
geometry.  He  lays  down  certain  fundamental  principles,  and  the 
whole  book  is  the  evolution  of  tliem. 

Feb.  16,  1890.  This  has  been  a  beautiful  day.  We  had  a  large 
audience  at  the  church.  I  preached  on  the  "  Presence  of  the  Angels  at 
the  Holy  Supper."  I  was  much  affected  myself,  so  much  so  that  I 
could  hardly  speak  at  times.  The  cause  of  it  was  not  so  much  what 
I  said  as  what  the  subject  suggested  to  me.  I  had  to  stop  in  the  closing 
prayer  for  some  time;  I  could  not  speak.  I  did  not  know  but  I  should 
be  compelled  to  stop  entirely. 

I  wish  I  could  control  myself  better.  I  am  sure  it  is  a  weakness  and 
must  seem  so  to  others.  But  I  cannot  help  it.  It  often  prevents  me 
from  saying  what  I  wish.  I  think  I  will  not  suffer  my  feelings  to  mani- 
fest themselves,  and  I  try  to  suppress  them,  but  I  cannot.  Perhaps  it 
is  better  than  it  would  be  if  I  had  no  feelings  and  went  through  with 
the  service  in  a  perfunctory  manner.  So  I  diink  things  equalize  them- 
selves, and  I  must  be  content  and  do  the  best  I  can  with  my  temper  and 
nature. 

Feb.  22,  1890.  I  must  write  a  sermon  on  the  "  Perishable  and  the 
Imperishable."  All  material  things  are  perishable  and  are  preserved 
only  by  constant  reproduction.  The  plant  and  the  animal  perish,  but 
the  kingdom  remains.  It  is  like  a  river  which  is  constantly  passing 
away  but  is  constantly  renewed.  With  spiritual  things  it  is  not  so. 
They  remain.  They  cannot  be  annihilated.  The  flower  fades,  but  the 
idea  of  the  flower  remains. 

Feb.  28,  1890.  A  more  interior  view  of  the  truth  grows  upon  me. 
The  knowledge  of  truth  seems  to  stand  out,  to  come  out  like  trees  from 

-4  418  }§«.- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

a  dissolving  mist.  Then  they  have  life  in  lliem;  they  bud  and  blossom 
and  grow,  and  I  hope  will  in  time  bear  fruit.  The  spiritual  world  and 
spiritual  things  grow  more  real  to  me  and  the  grand  prospect  of  an 
immortal  and  never-ending  existence  seems  so  real  and  impressive  that 
it  is  almost  ovcnvhelming.  Natural  things  fade  away  and  seem  almost 
nodiing.  Oh,  may  I  become  more  open  to  tlie  reception  of  love  and 
truth  from  the  Lord ! 

March  24,  1890.  Now  I  must  see  if  I  cannot  do  something  more. 
While  reading  to-day  it  came  into  my  mind  that  I  might  write  a  book. 
I  have  four  sermons,  the  first  of  which,  '"  Learning  to  Live,"  would  give 
the  title.  Three  others,  "Learning  to  Walk,"  "Learning  to  Hear," 
"  Learning  to  See,"  would  form  chapters.  I  might  take  up  other  things 
and  show  how  we  make  progress  only  by  learning  the  truth  and  doing 
it.     [These  were  published  in  book  form  after  Mr.  Giles's  death.] 

March  31,  189U.  My  book,  "  Why  I  am  a  New  Churchman,"  is  out, 
and  it  is  meeting  with  a  ready  sale.     It  seems  to  please. 

April  17,  1890.  I  read  the  first  part  of  a  review  of  "Why  I  am 
a  New  Churchman."  It  is  written  by  John  Bigclow  and  is  done  in  a  way 
that  I  think  all  reviews  of  books  should  be.  He  gives  such  an  account 
of  the  contents  of  tlie  little  book  that  the  reader  can  form  some  idea 
of  it.  This  gives  some  purpose  and  value  to  it.  It  is  not  praise  or 
blame  that  is  needed,  but  some  idea  of  the  book.  Then  let  people  judge 
for  themselves.  [This  review  was  published  in  the  New  Church  Mes- 
senger.] Mr.  Mann  suggests  tliat  1  should  give  a  more  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  way  I  was  led  to  receive  the  doctrines,  in  the  form  of  some 
autobiographical  articles  to  be  published  in  the  Messenger. 

April  18,  1890.  I  have  been  thinking  this  morning  about  Mr. 
Mann's  suggestion.  My  mind  ran  over  some  of  the  leading  incidents 
which  marked  my  progress  from  childhood  to  the  time  when  I  received 
the  first  New  Church  book  and  llie  first  intelligence  that  such  a  church 
existed.  Some  of  them  seem  to  me  to  be  quite  remarkable  and  I  may 
make  a  record  of  them.  Some  time!  How  easy  it  is  to  postpone  to 
some  time.  But  my  some  time  is  very  nearly  over,  if  over,  in  this 
world.  1  doubt  whether  I  ever  shall  attempt  it.  But  I  may  when  I 
can  do  nothing  else. 

-4  419  )3— 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

From  a  Letter  to  his  Daughter 

Philadelphia,  Feb.  20,  1890. 
I  had  a  very  interesting  call  from  John  Bigelow  of  New  York  a  few 
days  ago.  He  came  to  tell  me  that  he  thought  I  could  perform  a  greater 
use  now  than  in  any  other  way  by  devoting  my  time  to  putting  my  writ- 
ings into  a  more  permanent  form  by  publishing  books.  Tracts,  he  said, 
were  read  and  thrown  aside,  but  a  book  remained  with  more  or  less 
permanence.  He  said  many  pleasant  things  about  my  published  ser- 
mons. Among  otliers  he  said  he  had  read  them  for  thirty  years,  and 
he  had  never  seen  anything  that  was  not  good  and  well  expressed.  This 
surely  was  very  high  praise  from  such  a  man. 

That  Mr.  Bigelow  was  himself  the  author  of  valuable  New  Church 
literature  is  not  so  generally  known  as  it  should  be.  These  letters  from 
him,  written  later  in  the  year,  ask  Mr.  Giles's  advice  with  regard  to  some 
of  his  manuscripts: 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Jolin  Bigelow 

Highland  Falls  on  the  Hudson,  Sept.  10,  1890. 
This  mail  will  take  to  you  the  manuscript  of  a  paper  I  have  been  writ- 
ing which  some  New  Church  friends  who  have  heard  it  read,  think  might 
serve  a  use  if  printed  and  circulated.  People  will  not  buy  pamphlets; 
it  is  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  distribute  them,  and  if  you  do  not  send 
them  gratuitously  they  rarely  receive  any  attention.  They  are  read 
about  in  the  proportion  that  the  acorns  which  fall  become  oaks.  If 
there  is  any  one  in  the  land  who  can  tell  whether  any  good  purpose  can 
be  answered  by  publishing  what  I  send  you,  and  if  so,  where  and  how 
it  can  be  presented  to  the  public  to  the  best  advantage,  you  are  unques- 
tionably that  man.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  have  a  larger 
circulation  among  New  Church  people  in  the  Helper  than  elsewhere, 
while  it  is  too  "  religious  "  for  any  of  our  popular  magazines  and  too 
long  for  the  Messenger,  unless  divided  into  two  or  three  pieces,  which 
would  be  a  disadvantage  for  those,  if  there  should  be  any,  who  might 
wish  to  send  copies  to  people  not  interested  in  New  Church  literature. 
If  you  can  spare  a  half  hour  to  run  your  eye  over  my  manuscript  and 

~4  420  ^'~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

another  five  minutes  to  tell  me  whether  you  see  any  way  in  which  it 
can  be  more  useful  than  reposing  in  my  portfolio  I  will  feel  obliged  to 
you,  if  you  will  do  me  that  favor.  Should  you  conclude,  as  very  likely 
you  will,  for  I  cannot  claim  to  speak  with  any  authority  on  theological 
matters,  that  the  portfolio  is  the  place  for  it,  I  will  only  trouble  you  to 
send  it  back  to  the  above  address,  where  it  will  serve,  if  no  other  pur- 
pose, as  a  milestone  in  my  spiritual  pilgrimage. 

After  hearing  from  Mr.  Giles,  Mr.  Bigelow  writes: 

Highland  Falls,  Oct.  17,  1890. 
I  am  glad  to  learn  that  you  think  I  can  be  useful  to  the  Church  witli 
my  pen.  My  life  is  so  secluded  that  I  have  often  felt  like  a  man  having 
a  large  garden  to  till,  who  had  neitlier  spade,  hoe,  nor  mattock,  and 
has  more  than  he  can  do  to  keep  down  the  weeds  without  attempting  to 
produce  anything. 

In  the  diary  we  find  the  following: 

April  10,  1890.    1  had  a  visit  from  Mr.  B ,  a  Christian  Scientist, 

and  we  had  a  long  conversation.  I  tried  hard  to  find  out  what  tlieir 
treatment  is,  and  what  their  principles  are,  and  I  think  he  tried  to  tell 
me,  but  with  poor  success.  All  he  said  was,  they  sit  by  a  patient  and 
Uiink  of  God,  the  Good.  They  do  not  pray  to  Him  to  heal  die  sick. 
They  do  not  think  of  the  sick  person.  They  sit  with  closed  eyes  and  in 
as  passive  a  state  as  possible  and  think  of  the  '"  Good."  He  pretends 
to  have  almost  raised  the  dead.  He  called  his  cures  "  demonstrations 
of  the  truth  "  of  his  theory.  He  does  not  believe  tliat  God  has  any 
form,  or  that  a  spirit  has  any.  He  has  the  common  falsity  that  God 
cannot  have  any  form  because  He  is  infinite,  and  form  would  limit 
Him.  But  we  can  see  that  form  does  not  limit.  Take  the  iuiman  body 
as  an  example.  The  substances  which  compose  its  organs  have  no 
power  of  sensation  while  they  are  diffused  indefinitely  through  space. 
It  is  not  until  they  are  organized  into  the  human  fonn  lliat  they  can 
be  receptacles  of  life  and  be  endowed  willi  sensation.  We  may  gain 
a  hint  from  this  of  the  truth  that  the  Lord  must  be  in  the  human  form 
in  an  eminent  sense,  —  the  human  lorm  in  its  origin  and  potentialities. 

<■{  421  }i*- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

I  happened  to  be  at  home  at  the  time  this  man  called.  Father  ac- 
companied him  to  the  door,  the  man  talking  very  persistently  on  the 
way,  assuring  Mr.  Giles  tliat  he  could  convince  him  of  the  truth  of  his 
statements.  Father  replied  with  quiet,  courteous  decision:  "I  have 
listened  very  patiently  to  your  views.  Your  doctrines  are  false,  and  I 
cannot  allow  you  to  take  more  of  my  time.  I  bid  you  Good  evening." 
Then  the  man  departed,  still  protesting  till  the  door  was  shut. 

The  diary  continues: 

May  15,  1890.  I  am  importuned  to  go  to  Olney,  Illinois,  and  dedi- 
cate a  church  there.  I  declined  at  first,  but  they  seem  so  urgent  about 
it  and  so  many  things  conspired  to  induce  me  to  go  that  I  have  con- 
sented. I  do  dislike  to  omit  any  opportimity  of  saying  a  good  word  for 
the  Church. 

Every  man  is  an  instrument  unlike  any  other.  He  should  play  his 
part.  He  only  gives  forth  thoughts  that  are  the  form  of  his  own  mind. 
His  affections  give  quality  to  the  voice.  As  an  instrument  on  which  the 
Lord's  Holy  Breath  plays  it  will  constantly  increase  in  purity  of  tone 
and  volume  of  sound  by  right  of  use. 

There  is  not  a  certain  amount  of  life  stored  up  in  man  like  water  in 
a  vessel.  Man  has  no  life  in  himself.  As  he  gives  forth,  life  flows  in. 
This  can  be  illustrated  by  the  steam  engine.  The  piston  would  not  move 
if  the  pressure  were  the  same  on  both  ends  of  it.  Wlien  it  is  removed 
by  the  escape  or  condensation  of  the  steam  the  pressure  from  the  other 
side  moves  it;  so  it  is  with  life.  When  its  currents  flow  out  into  act,  life 
and  power  from  die  Lord  flow  in  and  so  motion  is  continued. 

This  principle  can  also  be  illustrated  by  the  action  of  an  organ  pipe. 
If  there  were  no  way  of  escape  for  the  air  there  would  be  no  vibration 
in  the  pipe.  But  make  an  outlet  and  the  current  of  air  causes  it  to 
vibrate  and  that  sets  the  atmosphere  in  motion  and  causes  sound. 

April  7,  1890.  Can  it  be  true  that  we  shall  never  be  weary  in  the 
spiritual  world?  Does  weariness  belong  to  the  body  alone?  It  cannot 
be.  There  must  be  alternation.  There  must  be  a  rise  and  fall.  Life 
cannot  be  an  eternal  ascent.  That  would  be  next  to  an  eternal  monotony. 
There  is  no  night  there.  But  there  must  be  shades  of  difference,  de- 
grees of  light,  that  there  may  be  comparison  and  contrast.     Can  there 

-*3{  422  }>'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

be  any  sensation  in  pure  motion?  Movement  without  any  resistance? 
It  does  not  seem  possible.  There  must  be  agents  and  reagents.  How 
wonderful  is  life!    What  a  true  miracle! 

From  a  Letter  to  His  Daughter 

PiiiLADKU'HiA,  May  26,  1890. 

I  believe  to-morrow  is  the  anniversary  of  your  birthday.  I  remem- 
ber it  well.  It  was  Sunday.  How  glad  we  were  to  welcome  you;  how 
ill  your  mother  was,  and  what  difficulties  we  had  to  provide  you  with 
food!  We  had  a  cow  which  we  kept  in  a  stable  and  many  a  time  I 
milked  her  at  midnight  to  get  sweet  milk  for  your  food.  We  had  a  hard 
time  to  supply  your  wants.     But  you  were  "  worth  it." 

What  a  terrible  year  that  was!  Your  mother  was  so  ill  for  a  long 
time  that  no  one  expected  her  to  live.  When  she  had  somewhat  recov- 
ered I  was  taken  with  inflammation  of  the  brain,  and  it  was  doubt- 
ful if  I  should  recover.  You  were  sent  away  to  Cincinnati  to  a  nurse; 
my  school,  which  was  the  means  of  our  living,  was  broken  up,  and  there 
did  not  seem  to  be  much  ground  of  hope  for  any  of  us.  I  had  just 
begun  to  study  law,  and  was  becoming  much  interested  in  it.  But 
your  mother's  illness,  followed  by  my  own,  put  an  end  to  that,  and 
I  rejoice  that  it  did.  The  Lord  sustained  us,  and  brought  us  out 
of  all  our  trouble,  and  we  are  alive  this  day  to  attest  His  goodness 
and  mercy. 

I  am  now  in  the  hands  of  the  dentist;  have  had  three  teeth  extracted, 
and  a  fourtli  nearly  so  by  mistake.  Am  living  on  soft  things,  but  hope 
in  a  few  days  to  masticate  a  tender  beefsteak.  You  see  I  am  getting 
ready  for  Convention.  Your  mother  is  also  busy  with  the  dressmaker, 
and  I  hope  with  my  new  teeth  and  her  new  dresses  we  shall  be  able  to 
make  an  attractive  and  impressive  appearance. 

After  Convention  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  went  to  Decatur.  Illinois,  the 
town  in  which  his  two  sisters  lived.  His  comment  on  tlie  visit  was  truly 
prophetic: 

I  shall  never  see  them  again,  in  ;ill  probai)ilily.  It  is  too  long  a  jour- 
ney for  iiu-  lo  make  again,  and  I  piisuine  they  will  not  visit  us.     We 

~«|  423  )9— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

have  all  been  strangely  led  and  I  hope  we  shall  meet  in  a  heavenly 
home. 

While  in  Illinois  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  visited  Olney,  and  there,  ac- 
cording to  a  promise  made  many  months  before,  he  dedicated  the  New 
Church  temple.  The  journey  to  Lake  George  was  broken  by  a  short 
visit  to  Port  Gibson  with  Mrs.  Giles's  sisters  near  Palmyra. 

We  now  find  Mr.  Giles  once  more  established  at  Lake  George,  plan- 
ning new  work.  Even  when  comparatively  inactive,  his  mind  was  busy 
in  clearly  formulating  the  truths  he  loved  so  well.  Extracts  from  let- 
ters which  follow  show  tliis: 

The  Sagamore,  July  20,  1890. 

I  have  begun  to  do  some  literary  work.  I  have  taken  out  my  books 
and  am  reading  "Divine  Love  and  Wisdom"  and  the  "Apocalypse 
Revealed  "  for  light  reading.  I  find  them  much  more  interesting  than 
a  common  novel.  I  have  also  written  a  few  pages  of  a  new  book  which 
I  hope  to  have  well  on  the  way  before  I  go  home.  It  is  hard  work, 
and  I  shall  not  make  much  progress  until  my  head  becomes  clearer  and 
stronger. 

Lake  George,  Aug.  3,  1890. 

I  was  thinking  this  morning  of  one  very  instructive  and  comforting 
fact  that  frequently  appears  in  the  "  Memorable  Relations."  We  often 
read  of  persons  in  the  spiritual  world  praying  for  some  special  help,  as 
for  angels  to  be  sent  to  them  to  instruct  them  on  some  subject.  In  all 
cases  that  I  remember  the  prayer  was  immediately  answered.  Must 
it  not  be  so  in  this  world  when  we  ask  for  any  assistance  in  learning  the 
truth  and  living  according  to  it?     I  tliink  so. 

The  Sagamore,  July  24. 

Your  experience  in  finding  more  in  "  Divine  Providence  "  is  the  same 
as  that  of  every  one  who  desires  to  know  what  is  good  and  true.  I  see 
more  to-day  in  every  one  of  Swedenborg's  works  than  I  ever  did  before. 
They  are  always  new.  This  is  one  of  the  great  proofs  that  they  contain 
the  truth.  There  are  endless  and  inexhaustible  truths  in  them,  and  they 
become  clearer  as  our  faculties  are  perfected  and  we  are  able  to  see 
more.    "  Divine  Providence  "  is  a  wonderful  book.    The  more  you  read 

-4  424  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

it  the  more  you  will  see  in  it,  and  the  more  help  you  will  derive  from 
it.  We  must  first  learn  it  as  a  fact  that  the  Divine  Providence  is  every- 
thing and  our  wisdom  as  nothing  compared  with  it.  Then  we  may 
gradually  gain  the  power  to  acknowledge  it.  Knowing  and  acknowledg- 
ing are  entirely  different  things  and  are  the  product  of  different  facul- 
ties of  tlie  mind.  Knowing  is  an  act  of  the  intellect;  acknowledging,  of 
the  affections.  We  may  know  a  truth  we  do  not  love,  which  indeed  we 
hate  and  deny.  But  when  we  love  it,  we  acknowledge  it.  We  get  an 
entirely  new  conception  of  it.  It  becomes,  as  it  were,  a  part  of  our  life 
and  gives  us  power  and  becomes  the  receptacle  of  a  larger  and  finer 
quality  of  life.  The  difference  is  like  that  between  the  food  we  have  de- 
posited in  the  stomach  and  that  which  has  become  organized  in  the 
body. 

After  the  strenuous  work  of  Convention,  llic  toil  of  travel,  preaching 
and  meetings,  the  very  atmosphere  of  nature's  calm  and  its  healing,  re- 
vivifying power  are  graphically  set  forth  in  the  following  extracts  from 
his  diary: 

Lake  George,  July  14,  1890.  Another  lovely  day.  I  begin  to  feel 
rested.  The  gentle  repose  of  nature,  the  pure  air  and  water,  and  the 
good  sleep,  all  tend  to  quietness  of  mind  and  rest  of  body.  Man  re- 
sponds to  nature.  He  is  a  most  delicate  instrument,  to  be  played  upon 
by  all  its  forces,  to  be  fed  by  its  substances,  and  to  respond  to  its  influ- 
ences. The  outward  world  was  made  for  man  and  man  for  the  outward 
world.  They  are  distinct  parts  of  one  whole.  They  relltrt  each  other, 
they  react  upon  each  other.  Nature  responds  to  man.  It  is  colored  by 
his  moods  and  takes  on  tlie  forms  of  his  thoughts.  The  material  uni- 
verse is  man's  outer  garment,  which  clothes  and  protects  him  ami  minis- 
ters to  his  wants. 

September  19,  1890.  H  a  tree  could  keep  a  daily  record  of  its  life 
what  could  it  say?  "  A  day  of  sunshine.  I  felt  warm  and  comfortable. 
A  pleasant  breeze  moved  my  leaves  and  sent  a  gentle  thrill  through  my 
body,  but  I  have  done  nothing  but  breathe  and  exist.  I  do  not  see  that 
I  have  done  any  good  or  gaini'd  any  strength.  Some  children  did  come 
and  play  in  my  shade,  and  a  lady  remarked  how  tall  and  beautiful  I  was. 

-•S{  425  )•>- 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

So  by  the  silent  growth  of  many  years  I  liave  been  able  to  perform  some 
use."  Is  it  not  so  with  men?  The  tree  is  doing  something  to  increase 
its  usefulness.  From  the  first  it  is  growing,  and  if  a  fruit  tree  it  is  pre- 
paring to  bear  fruit.  If  it  is  only  useful  for  fuel  or  timber  it  is  every 
day  and  every  moment  collecting  the  materials  from  the  earth  and  air, 
from  rain  and  light,  and  organizing  them  into  a  solid  substance  that 
will  serve  for  many  human  uses.  So  it  must  be  with  men.  They  are 
collecting  the  natural  and  the  spiritual  substances  which  the  Lord  forms 
into  vessels  for  the  reception  of  life  from  Him.  We  gather  the  mate- 
rials which  He  provides  and  He  makes  the  vessel,  the  house  in  which 
He  can  dwell.  He  spins  and  twists  the  chords  which  can  vibrate  with 
conscious  delight  to  the  inflowing  of  His  life.  The  tree  in  performing 
its  use  for  fuel  and  light  gives  up  its  own  existence.  But  it  is  not  so 
with  man.  He  retains  what  he  gives,  and  receives  more  by  giving.  So 
he  cannot  lose  anything  by  expressing  his  thought  and  affection;  on  the 
contrary,  he  gains  more  than  he  gives.  How  much  better  is  a  man  than 
a  tree! 

Once  more  at  home  he  writes : 

Philadelphia,  Oct.  19,  1890. 
We  had  a  pleasant  service  this  morning.  We  tried  to  carry  out  our 
idea  of  making  the  Holy  Supper  a  more  joyful  occasion.  But  the 
music  was  selected  by  the  organist,  and  while  it  was  very  good  it  was 
of  a  mournful  character.  It  was  of  a  quality  which  is  supposed  to  be 
appropriate.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  this  sacrament  represents  com- 
munion with  the  Lord  and  the  angels,  and  should  be  bright  and  quietly 
joyous.  Mr.  Worcester  gave  us  a  good  discourse.  It  was  short,  as 
we  expected  it  to  be,  and  it  was  directly  to  the  point.  We  must  see 
if  we  cannot  have  a  service  more  worthy  of  the  occasion. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  my  brother  William,  a  graduate  of  the 
Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  had  an  opportunity  to 
practise  his  profession  in  Nyack,  New  York,  entering  at  first  into  part- 
nership with  the  resident  physician  there,  and  afterwards  taking  charge 
alone. 

My  brother  was  the  last  of  the  children  to  leave  home.     He  was  a 

-4,  426  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

stay  and  support  to  his  parents;  the  ties  of  affection  were  strong  and 
the  prospect  of  separation  painful  on  both  sides. 

A  help  to  him  in  going  away  was  the  promise  given  by  Mr.  Worcester, 
and  nobly  fulfilled,  of  doing  all  in  hid  power  to  take  a  son's  place  to 
my  father  and  mother.  The  diary  records  something  of  tlie  struggle  in 
Mr.  Giles's  mind  while  matters  were  under  discussion. 

November  10,  1890.  I  am  not  in  a  state  very  favorable  to  writing 
sermons  or  anything  else.  Swedenborg  says  his  mind  was  darkened 
when  his  attention  was  directed  to  the  cares  of  this  world.     I  expect  it 

is  so  with  me.    Will's  contract  with  Dr.  D to  go  to  Nyack  and  enter 

into  partnership  with  him  in  the  practice  of  medicine  does  not  come 
to  a  conclusion  and  I  feel  some  anxiety  about  it.  I  pray  the  Lord  to 
help  me  to  trust  implicitly  in  Him  and  I  try  to  do  it.  But  the  natural 
man  will  obtrude  himself  and  cause  solicitude.  But  we  do  not  know 
anything  about  what  tJie  results  will  be.  I  have  prayed  and  do  pray 
that  he  may  be  led  to  do  that  which  will  be  for  his  spiritual  and  eternal 
good.  I  offered  the  same  prayer  for  myself  when  I  thought  of  buying 
this  house. 

After  a  settlement  was  effected  and  my  brother  left  for  Nyack,  the 
diary  records: 

E.  had  a  letter  from  Will.  How  dear  he  is  to  us!  How  much  we  miss 
him!  But  we  are  glad  to  have  him  go,  for  his  own  good  and  tlie  per- 
formance of  his  use.     We  must  part  from  him  sometime. 

Pliiladelphia,  December  10,  1890.  A  few  members  of  the  church 
committee  met  this  evening.  There  was  not  much  business  but  more 
than  usual  talk.  The  subject  of  asking  the  congregation  for  additional 
subscriptions  for  the  support  of  the  society  was  discusseil.  and  I  was 
asked  to  present  the  subject  to  the  people.  It  seems  there  is  a  deficit 
of  about  one  thousand  dollars  in  the  treasury,  and  this  must  be  made 
up  in  some  way.  I  often  wish  I  hail  money  enough  to  supjiort  myself 
and  the  church  also.  It  is  a  foolish  wish  without  any  doubt.  It  would 
not  be  useful  to  me  or  the  people.  Yet  th(>re  is  always  such  a  struggle 
to  raise  money  and  so  much  need  of  it.  So  much  could  be  done  that  is 
left  undone,  if  we  had  the  means.    But  I  suppose  it  is  best  as  it  is.    The 

-••«{  427  }§.- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

means  of  supporting  the  cliurch  must  be  wrung  from  the  natural  man. 
I  suppose  it  does  him  some  good.  The  only  way  we  can  get  anytliing 
from  him  is  by  squeezing  him. 

As  Mr.  Giles  grew  older,  though  his  mind  was  as  active  as  ever  and 
his  plans  for  usefulness  numerous  and  continuous,  work  was  often  in- 
terrupted by  the  inevitable  fatigue  due  to  failing  physical  powers.  In 
his  diary,  when  mention  is  made  of  something  accomplished  or  in  con- 
templation, it  is  frequently  qualified  with  such  remarks  as  "  Some  one 
else  must  take  up  the  business,"  or  "  If  I  am  here."  Notwithstanding, 
he  persevered  in  doing  what  he  could  day  by  day,  "for,"  as  he  ob- 
served, "  I  must  work  while  the  day  lasts." 

Early  in  the  year  1891  a  series  of  lectures  was  planned  on  '"  The  Ap- 
plication of  Universal  Spiritual  Principles  to  the  Conduct  of  Civil 
Affairs."  The  first  one  was  written  under  great  difficulties,  both  phys- 
ical and  mental.    Of  these  lectures  he  says: 

Jan.  23,  1891.  It  seemed  to  me  this  morning  as  if  I  could  not  write 
a  word.  I  was  stupid;  the  words  would  not  come.  But  I  knew  I  must 
write,  so  I  sat  and  pondered  and  dipped  my  pen  in  the  ink  and  pulled 
my  beard.  Sometimes  I  seemed  to  get  in  sight  of  some  dim  form  of 
thought  and  then  it  would  vanish  away.  But  finally  the  fog  lifted  a 
little  and  I  saw  my  way  for  a  few  steps,  and  then  I  saw  farther,  and  in 
the  end  I  succeeded  in  writing  about  as  much  as  I  did  yesterday. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Giles  suffered  so  much  from  rheumatism  that  he 
was  almost  helpless.  When  the  pain  had  somewhat  diminished  he 
attempted  again  to  write.  By  lifting  his  right  arm  on  the  desk  with 
his  left,  and  moving  his  paper  instead  of  his  hand,  he  managed,  very 
slowly  and  painfully,  to  finish  his  discourse.  This  was  delivered  on 
Sunday  to  a  large  and  attentive  audience  and  apparently  Mr.  Giles 
was  no  worse  for  it.  But  tlie  night  after,  began  a  serious  and  very 
distressing  illness.  Even  he,  inured  to  pain  as  he  was,  could  not  keep 
from  groaning,  and  at  times  calling  upon  the  Lord  for  mercy.  The 
course  of  lectures  had  to  be  given  up,  much  to  his  disappointment. 
Of  this  he  says: 

This  is  the  second  time  I  have  been  compelled  to  discontinue  a  series 
of  discourses  after  delivering  the  first  one.  But  we  do  not  know  what 
the  result  might  have  been  if  I  could  have  completed  them.     Wliat  is, 

-^  428  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

only  concerns  us.    We  must  do  the  best  we  can  under  the  circumstances, 
whatever  may  be  our  hindrances. 

More  and  more  was  his  natural  life  interwoven  with  the  spiritual; 
events  and  conditions  here  were  constant  reminders  or  suggestions  of 
their  correlatives  there.  Thoughts  of  our  homes  in  the  other  life  were 
brought  out  by  a  friend's  letter  telling  of  alterations  in  his  house. 

PlllLADKLlMllA,  Jan.   13,   1891. 

And  you  really  and  surely  have  got  into  your  regenerated  house! 
Well,  I  congratulate  you.  I  hope  it  will  prove  to  be  all  your  fancy 
painted  it.  It  must  be  fresh  and  charming.  I  hope  you  will  feel  at 
home  in  it  and  that  your  new  environment  may  react  and  help  in  the 
creation  of  new  states  witliin.  I  suppose  the  change  does  not  consist 
in  restoring  die  old,  but  in  replacing  with  something  new  and  more 
convenient  and  more  in  harmony  with  new  states.  So  I  suppose  our 
spiritual  houses  will  continue  to  change.  New  rooms  are  constantly 
being  added  to  them  and  new  furniture  to  the  rooms,  new  pictures  on 
the  walls  and  new  conveniences  for  the  new  states.  Isn't  it  a  glorious 
prospect!  And  then  the  alterations,  the  enlargements  and  additions, 
are  not  attended  with  any  litter,  rubbish,  or  delay.  They  will  not  be 
patched  on.  They  will  grow  out  of  the  former  states  and  be  exactly 
accommodated  to  our  ideal.  Such  improvements  are  constantly  going 
on  in  our  "  house  not  made  with  hands,"  while  we  wake,  and  especially 
while  we  sleep. 

I  sometimes  think  I  would  like  to  write  a  book  comparing  the  natural 
with  the  spiritual  in  a  great  number  of  special  things,  showing  how  they 
differ  and  how  they  agree,  and  especially  setting  forth  the  supreme  ex- 
cellence of  the  spiritual  state.  If  I  could  write  all  the  books  I  can  think 
of  —  what  a  task  it  would  be  to  read  them!  I  won't  do  it.  I  will  be 
merciful.  But  what  books  somebody  will  write  in  the  far  if  not  in  the 
near  future! 

On  receiving  a  gift  of  a  quantity  of  paper  he  said: 

I  looked  at  the  pile  and  said,  "There  is  the  remainder  of  my  life's 
work  before  me."  So  I  began  at  once,  and  diere  are  five  sheets  less 
dian  when  I  commenced. 

-4  429  |S^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 
When  he  was  well  enough  to  preach  again  he  said: 

It  was  very  pleasant  to  stand  in  the  old  place  and  speak  to  the  people 
once  more.  This  is  my  use.  I  am  quite  sure  of  it.  I  have  been  fortu- 
nate enough  to  be  led  into  it  and  to  labor  in  it  for  many  years.  Sweden- 
borg  says,  "  It  is  the  delight  of  the  angels  to  teach  others."  I  hope  it 
will  he  mine.     I  want  no  better  occupation  through  eternity. 

My  father  was  very  affectionate,  and  it  was  always  a  pleasure  to  him 
when  any  of  the  children  came  home.    After  such  a  visit  he  writes: 

The  children  bring  us  new  life.  We  renew  our  youth  in  them.  It  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  provisions  of  the  Divine  Providence  that  parents 
should  nurse  and  educate  their  children  in  the  first  years  of  life,  and 
that  children  should  cheer  and  brighten  their  parents'  declining  years. 
In  true  order  this  would  always  be  so.  Unfortunately  for  both,  it  is  not 
always  the  case  now.  This  law  of  the  elder  caring  for  the  young  is  a 
universal  one.  The  principle  applies  to  spiritual  as  well  as  to  natural 
life.  Those  —  all  —  who  have  passed  into  the  spiritual  world  are 
busy  working  for  those  who  remain  behind;  cherishing  in  them  the 
germs  of  spiritual  life.  Old  people  need  young  and  fresh  life  around 
them  to  keep  them  from  drying  up.  The  provisions  of  the  Lord  in 
having  a  fresh  current  of  life  flowing  into  tlie  old  is  useful  for  young 
and  old.  These  universal  laws  which  are  so  constant  in  their  operation 
escape  our  notice  by  their  very  continuity.  We  regard  them  as  a  matter 
of  course,  and  so  do  not  see  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  in  them. 

When  the  Easter  festival  was  held  Mr.  Giles  says: 

I  read  a  little  story  about  a  robin  in  which  I  tried  to  illustrate  some 
New  Church  truths,  and  especially  the  fact  of  a  resurrection.  The 
children  listened  more  attentively  than  they  would  have  done  to  any 
speech,  and  I  presume  many  of  them  caught  the  meaning  of  the  illus- 
tration of  the  resurrection.  In  the  story  of  the  robin  an  idea  came  to 
me  about  the  resurrection  that  seems  worth  preserving.  It  is  this:  the 
only  way  any  living  thing  can  get  into  this  world  is  by  a  resurrection. 
The  seed  is  buried  in  the  groimd,  the  plant  is  raised  out  of  it.     It  is  a 

-^  430  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    189Q-1891 

resurrection  in  two  ways.  It  is  a  resurrection  of  the  plant  from  the 
seed.  In  reality  it  is  a  resurrection  of  the  seed.  We  cannot  raise  an 
apple  or  a  nut  directly  from  an  apple  or  a  nut.  I  thought  of  asking 
the  children  how  to  get  an  apple  out  of  an  apple  or  a  nut  out  of  a  nut! 
It  cannot  be  done  directly.  There  must  be  "  first  the  blade,  then  the 
ear;  after  tliat  the  full  com  in  the  ear." 

On  the  23d  of  May  he  makes  some  comments  on  the  meetings  of 
Convention: 

The  debates  when  there  were  any  were  carried  on  in  a  kind  and  good 
spirit,  and  satisfactory  conclusions  were  reached.  The  afternoon  was 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  missions.  There  were  several  speeches;  all 
were  too  long.  I  was  appointed  to  close  the  subject  and  made  a  few 
remarks.  While  I  was  listening  to  the  speeches,  die  words  of  the  un- 
faithful man  who  received  one  talent  kept  ringing  in  my  ears:  ""  1  hid 
it";  and  I  made  that  my  text.  I  did  not  speak  more  than  five  minutes. 
The  meeting  must  have  had  some  effect,  as  the  collection  amounted  to 
thirty-three  hundred  dollars. 

It  has  been  the  most  useful  Convention  I  ever  attended.  I  can  liardly 
conceive  how  it  could  have  been  better.  There  were  no  dissensions. 
If  we  can  go  on  in  this  way  we  shall  arrive  at  a  unity  which  will  express 
the  will  of  the  whole  body  and  not  the  will  of  one  person  who  has  su- 
preme aufhoritv.  This  is  an  ideal  stale  but  it  can  be  attained,  and  it 
will  be  when  die  members  of  die  churcii  become  sufliciently  wise  and 
loving.  I  have  been  working  for  this  state  and  I  am  sure  some  progress 
towards  it  has  been  made.  Wlien  we  attain  this  harmony  our  meetings 
will  be  occasions  in  which  all  the  members  will  seek  to  give  and  receive, 
and  be  more  delighted  to  receive  light  and  be  instructed  dian  to  give  it. 

Early  in  July  the  quiet,  peaceful  life  at  Lake  George,  so  much  en- 
joyed by  my  moUier  and  fadier,  began  again.  It  was  a  lime  not  only 
for  physical  rest,  but  for  communion  with  nature  and  meditations  on 
many  subjects.  Some  of  these  as  recorded  in  liis  diarj'  and  in  letters 
are  now  given. 

The  Sagamore,  July  4,  1H91.  Kv<'ryliiing  liere  looks  more  Ixaiitilul 
than  ever.     Is  it  really  increasing  in  beauty  or  am  I  gaining  power  to 

-^  431  )«►- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

enjoy?  It  is  Uie  beauty  of  the  Lord  upon  the  earth.  The  sun  is  His, 
rising  with  glory  and  vivifying  warmth;  the  trees  are  the  forms  and 
manifestations  of  His  intelligence  and  love  for  man.  Everything 
speaks  of  His  Wisdom  and  Love. 

July  10,  1891.  It  seems  singular  that  we  cannot  break  up  an  evil 
or  injurious  habit  more  easily.  We  see  the  evil  of  it.  We  resolve  to 
put  it  away,  but  resolving  and  doing  are  two  quite  different  things. 

I  think  we  can  see  that  it  is  best  that  it  should  be  so  difficult  to  change. 
If  it  were  not,  there  would  be  no  stability  in  life.  The  good  as  well 
as  the  evil  dispositions  would  not  become  permanent.  There  would 
be  nothing  stable  or  constant.  We  ought  not  to  expect  to  be  able  to  get 
rid  of  a  bad  habit  at  once.  If  we  did  not  we  should  not  be  so  often 
disappointed  and  discouraged. 

I  have  begun  to  read  the  "Arcana  "  again  since  I  came  here  and  I  see 
more  new  and  wonderful  things  in  it  than  ever  before.  I  begin  to  real- 
ize something  of  the  infinity  of  the  Word.  I  can  see  how  one  word  may 
contain  infinite  truth.  It  is  related  to  all  others,  and  so  in  a  sense 
contains  them  all. 

I  am  struck  more  and  more  with  the  scientific  accuracy  with  which  the 
natural  imagery  is  related  to  all  other  facts,  and  the  logical  certainty 
with  which  one  step  necessitates  and  follows  another  in  the  literal  sense; 
and  then  the  new  worlds  of  truth  which  are  revealed  by  the  opening  of 
the  spiritual  sense.  It  seems  miraculous.  How  can  it  be  that  such 
natural  events  and  objects  as  compose  the  letter  should  introduce  us 
into  the  spiritual  world,  reveal  the  inmost  principles  of  human  nature, 
and  more  especially  the  Divine  nature!  It  seems  incredible.  But  the 
more  we  penetrate  beneath  the  surface  of  the  natural  meaning  the  more 
clearly  we  see  that  it  is  so.  There  are  so  many  wonderful  things  about 
the  Word  that  I  am  surprised  that  we  do  not  appreciate  and  prize  it 
more  highly.  I  was  much  impressed  with  the  truth,  which  I  have 
known  before,  that  by  means  of  the  Word  we  have  consociation  with  the 
angels  and  conjunction  with  the  Lord.  I  knew  it  and  I  did  n't  know  it. 
It  came  to  me  the  other  morning  with  wonderful  clearness  and  power. 
When  we  read  the  Word  with  any  degree  of  feeling  that  it  is  the  Word, 
the  spirits  connected  with  us  imderstand  it  in  their  degree  and  capacity, 

-4  432  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

the  spiritual  angels  in  a  much  higher  degree,  the  celestial  angels  in  a 
still  higher  and  ineffable  degree,  and  it  rises  and  is  lost  to  human  ap- 
prehension in  the  infinite  Divine.  It  is  a  golden  chain  which  conjoins 
man  with  angels  and  the  Lord,  and  which  freely  conducts  the  Divine 
life  in  angelic  forms  to  the  minds  of  those  who  are  reading  it.  It 
awakens  affections  in  the  hearts  of  the  angels  which  flow  down  to  us. 
We  may  not  perceive  its  power.  Their  touch  may  be  so  gentle  as 
to  make  no  impression  upon  tlie  hard  and  unyielding  forms  of  our 
minds. 

But  it  is  a  most  important  truth  and  gives  us  a  hint  of  the  great  use 
of  reading  the  Word  in  a  reverent  manner  as  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 

Aug.  2,  1891.  This  is  one  of  those  days  of  heaven  upon  the  earth 
which  can  only  be  found  in  their  perfection  at  Lake  George.  The 
heavens  are  deep  blue,  with  a  few  luminous  clouds  moving  slowly  and 
silently  above  the  earth.  I  say  above  the  earth  because  they  belong  to 
the  earth  more  than  to  the  heavens.  The  dark  green  of  the  wood  and 
hills  is  illuminated  with  the  soft  light  of  the  sun.  It  is  not  flaming  or 
burning.  It  seems  to  shine  through  them  rather  tlum  to  he  reflected 
from  them  as  the  light  of  truth  through  an  honest  face.  There  is  just 
movement  enough  in  tiie  leaves  and  gentle  swaying  of  the  branches  to 
indicate  motion  and  a  sweet  consciousness  of  life  received  and  life 
communicated.  The  leaves  rest  upon  the  air  as  though  they  felt  the 
pervading  and  penetrating  warmth  and  were  gently  smiling  widi  the 
joy  of  it.  The  lake  lies  in  the  bosom  of  the  hills,  not  sleejjing.  but 
quiet,  as  if  too  much  motion  would  disturb  its  repose  of  thought  and 
consciousness  of  feeling.  In  some  places  it  is  a  perfect  mirror  reflecting 
cloud  and  sky,  the  hills  and  trees,  or  rather  holding  them  in  the 
depths  of  its  inmost  consciousness  like  ideas  in  the  mind,  as  though 
it  were  quietly  thinking  about  them  and  receiving  an  impress  of 
their  nature.  Oh,  the  beauty  of  the  earth,  the  glory  of  it,  the  peace 
of  it!  There  is  a  Sabbath  in  the  trees  and  in  the  water.  The  birds  flit 
noiselessly  about.  Their  singing  is  sweeter  and  partakes  more  of  peace 
than  joy. 

As  I  sat  under  the  trees  on  the  lawn  this  morning  and  looked  out  over 
the  quiet  lake  and  up  to  Uie  grand  and  quiet  heaven,  everything  said 

-4  433  )9»~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

peace  and  conscious  rest.  The  beauty  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  were 
upon  the  eartli.  It  was  a  grand  and  perfect  picture  of  the  repose  of  the 
soul. 

Aug.  4,  1891.  The  days  slip  silently  by.  But  what  are  days  in 
reality?  Nothing  but  states  of  life  as  to  our  intelligence.  Every  new 
truth  is  a  new  day.  Those  wlio  gain  new  truths  are  living  new  days. 
Those  who  do  not  are  not  living.  They  are  not  multiplying  days.  One 
may  live  more  days  in  an  hour  than  others  do  in  a  week  or  a  year.  If 
I  have  learned  any  new  truth  this  summer  I  have  multiplied  my  days. 

Aug.  14,  1891.  The  days  pass  swiftly  away  and  leave  no  perceptible 
trace  behind.  But  every  one  does  leave  its  mark  without  any  doubt. 
But  the  lines  are  mostly  invisible  to  us.  If  a  tree  were  conscious  of 
its  life  in  the  beginning  and  had  a  distinct  aim  to  have  a  powerful  trunk, 
immense  limbs,  covered  wiUi  many  leaves,  blossoms  and  fruit,  I  think 
it  must  become  discouraged  at  the  slow  growth.  What  would  it  say 
and  how  would  it  feel  when  the  frosts  came  and  the  leaves  began  to 
wither,  and  the  flowers  to  fade  and  the  fruit  to  decay?  Would  n't  it  be 
discouraged  and  think  there  was  no  use  in  trying?  I  am  sure  it  would. 
How  little  it  grows  in  a  year!  Could  it  discover  that  it  had  gained  any- 
thing in  one  day? 

Aug.  15,  1891.  "The  Lord  meets  us  in  our  deeds,"  Swedenborg 
says.  It  is  not  in  our  thought  or  in  our  affections,  but  in  our  work. 
I  have  thought  much  of  this.  "  Religion,"  he  says,  "  is  doing."  Knowl- 
edge or  faith  alone  is  nothing.  It  must  be  combined  with  a  useful  deed 
to  become  anything.  Truth  is  nothing  by  itself  alone.  It  is  a  machine 
without  power  to  impel  it.  It  is  a  vessel  which  contains  nothing.  The 
two,  substance  and  form,  can  be  conceived  apart  but  they  have  no  sepa- 
rate existence.  They  are  the  air  witliout  lungs,  the  lungs  without  air. 
They  must  come  together. 

One  event  of  the  season  at  Lake  George  was  a  very  important  one  to 
my  mother  and  father.  September  8th  was  the  fiftietli  anniversary  of 
their  marriage.    The  diary  thus  records  the  event: 

Sept.  8,  1891.  Fifty  years  ago  to-day  E.  and  I  set  out  on  the  journey 
of  life  together.     It  was  a  beautiful  day.     The  air  was  soft  and  the 

-'4  434  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

sun  bright.  How  little  we  knew  of  the  nature  of  marriage  and  what 
was  before  us.  It  is  one  of  the  striking  instances  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
Divine  Providence  that  a  young  man  and  woman  can  come  into  such 
intimate  personal  relations  and  live  happily  together.  This  shows  as 
clearly  as  any  testimony  can,  that  man  and  woman  were  made  for  each 
other. 

But  they  were  not  to  be  allowed  simply  to  commemorate  the  day  by 
thoughts  of  the  past.  Extracts  from  various  family  letters  tell  of  the 
happy  celebration  of  the  event. 

The  anniversar)'  of  the  "Golden  Wedding"  has  passed,  and  your 
modier  and  I  are  on  the  way  to  the  "  Diamond  Wedding,"  which  we 
have  no  expectation  or  ambition  to  reach.  We  had  quite  a  grand  cele- 
bration, though  not  one  of  our  relatives  was  present.  It  seemed  quite 
strange  to  be  the  subjects  of  so  much  congratulation  at  a  hotel  and  sur- 
rounded for  the  most  part  by  mere  casual  acquaintances.  The  greetings 
were  very  cordial  and  we  were  quite  the  centre  of  attention  and  interest 
during  the  day.  Mr.  McGeorge  was  here  and  he  suggested  to  Mr. 
Burnham  and  some  of  our  friends  that  they  should  give  your  motlier 
and  me  a  dinner.  They  entered  into  it  with  enthusiasm,  and  tliough 
there  was  only  two  days'  notice,  a  beautiful  and  luxurious  dinner  lor 
twenty-three  persons  was  prepared.  There  is  a  small  dining  room  on 
one  side  of  the  large  one,  and  opening  into  it,  where  the  table  was  set. 
The  room  and  the  table  were  lavishly  and  beautifully  adorned  with 
flowers.  One  gentleman,  whom  I  never  saw  until  this  summer,  tele- 
graphed to  Albany  for  roses  and  other  flowers,  and  a  magnificent 
bouquet  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  table  in  front  of  your  mother 
and  me.    The  table  and  the  room  were  really  beautiful. 

The  dinner  was  served  in  courses  and  was  a  very  luxurious  one.  A 
large  piece  built  up  in  quite  a  remarkable  way,  composed,  I  presume, 
of  candies,  with  50  on  top  was  brought  in  and  shown  to  the  guests.  Two 
kinds  of  wine  were  served  and  a  licautilul  wedding  cake  willi  I  fill 
and  1891  in  the  icing  on  the  toj).  It  was  first  carried  round  and 
shown  to  the  guests  and  then  |)laced  before  me  to  put  the  knife  into  it. 
It  was  tlien  cut  by  the  waiters  and  passed. 

-li  435  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Mr.  McGeorge  sat  at  one  end  of  the  table  and  Dr.  Vanderwater  at 
the  other.  Mr.  McGeorge  made  a  brief  speech  and  read  a  letter  from 
William  Hobart.  It  was  a  most  excellent  one,  and  was  endorsed  by 
two  pages  of  names  of  my  old  friends  and  parishioners  in  Cincinnati. 
Rev.  Dr.  Vanderwater  responded  with  some  very  excellent  remarks;  Dr. 
Balles,  a  Universalist  minister  from  New  York,  also  made  a  short  and 
very  complimentary  speech.  I  responded  in  a  very  few  remarks,  thank- 
ing them  for  their  attentions. 

I  presume  there  would  have  been  much  more  speaking  if  Mr.  Mc- 
George had  not  been  obliged  to  leave  in  time  to  catch  a  train  at  Cald- 
well. Mr.  Simpson  kindly  invited  the  company  to  go  in  his  yacht  with 
Mr.  McGeorge.  We  all  got  aboard  immediately  and  had  a  delightful 
trip.  It  was  a  lovely  day  and  this  seemed  a  charming  and  fitting  close 
to  the  celebration. 

From  the  many  letters  on  this  subject  only  a  few,  such  as  would  be 
of  general  interest,  are  given: 

From  Mrs.  Giles  to  her  Daughter 

We  trusted  to  Mr.  McGeorge  to  tell  you  all  about  the  dinner,  etc.,  at 
Lake  George.  No  doubt  he  enjoyed  the  recital  as  much  as  the  circum- 
stance itself.  It  was  a  wonderfully  well  arranged  affair.  Everything 
seemed  to  conspire  to  make  it  an  entire  success;  even  the  weather  was 
just  beautiful.  And  the  sail  was  delightful.  The  souvenirs  we  gave  to 
the  kind  friends  who  were  there  was  a  picture  of  your  dear  father's 
study.  It  seemed  to  give  them  great  pleasure.  I  did  not  think  of  it 
until  after  Mr.  McGeorge  had  gone.  When  we  returned  from  our  sail 
we  found  a  flower  piece  made  by  one  of  the  musicians  hung  on  our 
door,  with  the  dates  1841  and  1891  made  of  goldenrod  and  encircled 
by  a  wreath  of  evergreen  and  white  asters. 

Your  dear  father  and  I  had  quite  made  up  our  minds  not  to  take  any 
special  notice  of  the  day.  So  that  Mr.  Howells'  letter,  the  first  we 
received,  and  all  succeeding  ones  were  quite  a  surprise.  When  Mr. 
McGeorge  first  spoke  to  us  about  the  dinner  I  proposed  to  your  dear 
father  that  we  should  elope.     But  as  that  did  not  seem  on  the  whole  a 

-^  436  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

very  gracious  thing  to  do,  we  let  our  friends  have  their  way,  which 
proved  to  be  a  very  enjoyable  one  for  us  and  for  tliem. 

On  our  return  to  the  Sagamore  we  found  a  great  batch  of  letters 
awaiting  us,  among  them  one  from  W.  D.  Howells. 

From  W.  D.  Howells  to  Chauncey  Giles 

Intervale,  Sept.  3,  1891. 

I  am  just  returned  here  too  late  to  meet  your  daughter,  of  whom  my 
wife  has  had  so  much  to  tell  me,  and  who  has  left  word  that  your 
Golden  Wedding  Day  falls  upon  the  8th  inst.  riiis  enables  me  to  join 
your  other  friends  in  the  offer  of  good  wishes  for  yourself  and  Mrs. 
Giles.  You  once  filled  so  large  a  place  in  my  life,  and  my  childhood 
owed  you  so  much,  diat  it  seems  as  if  I  had  some  personal  part  in  the 
happiness  your  own  children  must  feel  in  the  approaching  anniversary. 

I  have  seen  my  father  within  a  few  days,  and,  as  always,  we  spoke 
of  you.  If  he  knew  I  was  writing  he  would  wish  to  unite  his  congratu- 
lations with  mine. 

Willi  the  affectionate  regards  of  my  wife  to  Mrs.  Giles  and  yourself, 
I  send  you  my  love  and  gratitude. 

To  Mr.  W.  D.  Howells  from  Chauncey  Giles 

Lake  George,  Sept.,  1891. 
Your  kind  note  in  which  you  congratulate  Mrs.  Giles  and  me  on 
reaching  llie  golden  milestone  of  married  life  gave  us  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  and  we  sincerely  thank  you  and  Mrs.  Howells  for  your  con- 
gratulations. It  is  an  unusual,  perhaps,  but  not  a  great  attainment  for 
a  man  and  woman  to  have  lived  together  fifty  years.  The  honor  and 
the  blessedness  of  it  consists  in  continually  drawing  closer  together  and 
becoming  more  truly  and,  as  we  in  the  New  (]luinh  would  say,  more 
"  distinctly  one."  We  have  learned  one  important  lesson  that  husbands 
and  wives  are  slow  to  learn;  and  that  is,  that  marriage  is  a  gradual  and 
continuous  process  which  is  cfTectcd  by  renunciation  of  those  traits  of 
character  which  are  not  homogeneous  and  cannot  l)c  made  so,  ami  the 
attainment  of  those  elements  that  will  combine,     it  is  a  continual  pro- 

--4  437  Ja^- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

cess  of  losing  our  natural,  selfish  life  and  finding  a  higher  and  richer 
one. 

Marriage  is  the  only  alembic  in  which  the  baser  metals  can  be  trans- 
muted into  gold.  I  trust  we  have  found  something  of  this  in  our  own  ex- 
perience. At  least  we  have  the  happiness  of  knowing  that  our  married 
life  has  not  been  a  failure,  but  has  been  a  growing  success,  so  that  the 
.last  year  has  been  tlie  happiest  of  the  fifty  tliat  we  have  lived  together. 
We  have  lived  more  together  than  ever  before. 

I  want  to  thank  you  for  the  "  Boy's  Town."  I  have  enjoyed  reading 
it  very  much  indeed.  It  carried  me  back  to  tlie  first  year  of  our  mar- 
ried life  and  recalls  many  scenes  which  had  faded  from  my  memory. 
I  think  you  have  entered  into  the  boy's  nature  and  described  it  in  a  most 
graphic  way.  It  is  one  of  the  best  examples  of  realism  in  literature. 
It  touches  me  more  than  it  might  some  others,  perhaps,  because  of  its 
local  color.  But  it  contains  much  that  any  man  who  has  not  ceased  to 
be  a  boy  can  understand  and  appreciate. 

The  "  Boy's  Town "  occupied  a  most  important  place  in  our  lives, 
and  we  shall  value  the  book  for  the  memories  it  contains  and  for  the 
kind  wishes  of  the  author.  Mrs.  Giles  unites  with  me  in  heartily  recip- 
rocating for  you  and  Mrs.  Howells  your  kind  wishes  for  us. 

From  friends  in  the  Cincinnati  Society 

Cincinnati,  September,  1891. 

In  this  golden  era  of  your  married  life  the  thoughts  of  those  who 
were  connected  with  the  society  where  your  first  pastorate  was  located 
naturally  go  out  to  you. 

Like  yourself,  there  are  so  many  of  your  old  friends  summering  that 
but  few  can  unite  in  any  communication,  and  as  the  church  services 
have  not  been  resumed,  we  have  no  opportunity  of  coming  together  at 
a  general  meeting. 

The  only  course  open,  therefore,  to  those  of  us  who  can  see  each 
other  is  to  write  to  you  and  express  very  feebly  on  paper  our  abiding 
love  for  our  former  pastor,  and  our  most  sincere  and  hearty  congratu- 
lations on  his  reaching  a  day  that  comparatively  few  attain. 

You  will  readily  connect  each  one  whose  name  is  appended  to  this 

-4  438  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

in  some  way  with  the  church  and  your  association  witli  it.  You  pro- 
nounced the  sacred  words  uniting  some  of  us  for  life,  you  have  wel- 
comed some  who  stood  before  the  altar  as  members  of  the  New  Church, 
and  some  of  us  you  have  taken  in  your  arms  as  infants  and  pronounced 
the  Saviour's  blessing.  You  have  comforted  many  of  us  in  trouble  and 
affliction,  pronouncing  tlie  last  words  in  laying  away  the  earthly  part  of 
those  dear  to  us. 

In  thinking  of  our  past  relations  to  you  and  with  you,  in  every  way 
we  find  happiness  and  love,  and  there  can  be  no  time  in  which  we  can 
so  feelingly  express  it  as  diis. 

You  taught  us  whence  comes  tliis  pure  gold,  and  if  it  has  reached 
our  real  selves  it  has  been  with  your  help;  and  now  that  you  have  lived 
to  see  this  representative  golden  day  we  feel  how  much  that  pure  gold 
has  been  to  you  all  these  years,  and  how  it  has  added  to  your  happy 
union. 

While  we  have  addressed  you  as  our  former  pastor  and  teacher,  we 
do  not  at  all  forget  the  one  who  has  been  with  you  all  these  years  and 
has  so  wonderfully  helped  to  make  your  life  what  it  has  been,  and  with 
whom  influence  and  action  have  always  been  opportune  and  strong. 

Our  love  and  congratulations  are  equally  extended  to  her,  and  our 
hearts  are  full  of  tliankfulness  to  the  Lord  that  she  has  been  kept  by 
your  side  so  long. 

With  the  most  earnest  and  heartfelt  wishes  for  many  years  of  useful- 
ness and  happiness  (synonymous  terms  for  both  of  you)  we  are  most 
affectionately  Your  friends, 

William  N.  Hobakt  &  seventy  others. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  C.  Thompson 

Septembrr,  1891. 
Dear  Friends:  The  rich  and  chaste  paper  knife  and  penholder  came 
safely  to  hand  last  night  and  you  shall  have  the  first  fruits  of  their  use. 
They  are  too  beautiful  for  common  occasiotjs;  they  must  be  consecrated 
to  golden  uses.  We  have  been  dreply  touched  by  tlu'  afTcclion  which 
our  completion  of  fifty  years  of  married  liie  has  called  out.  It  gives  us 
strength  and  courage  to  be  content  Id  i)rolong  die  journey  and  do  a 

—ct  439  ^- 


THE  LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

little  more  work  in  this  bridal  tour  before  we  settle  down  to  our  life's 
work  in  our  eternal  home.  We  find  increasing  evidence  that  we  are 
nearing  it.  We  find  it  necessary  to  make  shorter  stages,  to  rest  oftener 
and  longer,  and  we  grow  weary  with  little  exertion.  Our  hold  upon 
natural  things  grows  weaker,  our  sight  grows  dim,  our  limbs  are  un- 
steady, and  this  world  seems  less  substantial  and  real;  it  is  leaving  us 
and  fading  away. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  spiritual  world  is  drawing  nearer.  It  is  be- 
coming more  substantial,  its  objects  more  real,  its  form  more  distinct. 
We  feel  as  though  we  were  nearing  home.  So,  dear  friends,  the  golden 
age  is  coming  to  us  or  we  are  approaching  it.  We  know  it  by  the 
"  golden  rain,"  and  "  the  dove  fluttering  its  wings  in  the  window." 

I  hope  we  may  be  present  at  your  Golden  Wedding.  I  think  we  shall 
be,  either  as  visible  or  invisible  guests.  We  thank  you  for  the  beautiful 
reminder  that  you  were  present  in  thought  and  affection  at  ours,  and 
that  you  are  taking  the  journey  with  us  to  our  future  homes.  That  you 
may  be  sustained  and  comforted  by  heavenly  ties  as  the  earthly  ones 
grow  weak  and  are  dissolved,  is  the  sincere  prayer  of  Darby  and  Joan, 
alias  Chauncey  and  Eunice  Giles. 

Several  entries  in  his  diary  give  an  additional  history  of  this  happy 
time. 

November,  1891.  The  first  organ  recital  of  the  season  was  given  in 
the  church  this  afternoon.  The  church  was  well  filled  and  the  music 
was  very  good. 

Mr.  Lewis  met  us  on  the  steps  as  we  were  going  into  the  church  and 
said  he  had  something  to  show  us.  He  led  us  into  the  Ladies'  Parlor 
and  placed  a  small  package  before  us,  and  asking  us  to  examine  it,  he 
left  us.  On  opening  it  we  found  forty-five  gold  eagles  and  five  double 
eagles.  There  were  fifty  pieces  of  gold  of  the  value  of  five  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  E.  and  I  were  very  much  surprised.  I  had  no  idea  that 
anything  of  the  kind  was  projected.  It  was  a  gift  for  our  golden  wed- 
ding. The  people  are  very  kind  and  we  are  much  touched  by  their 
goodness.  We  have  received  nothing  but  kindness  from  them  since  we 
came  here. 

-4  440  ^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

About  seven  weeks  after  the  Golden  Wedding  the  youngest  member 
of  the  family,  William,  was  married  to  Miss  Henrietta  Peck  of  Phila- 
delphia. My  father  performed  the  ceremony,  and  two  little  girls,  one 
a  niece  of  the  bride,  the  other  one  of  the  grandchildren,  were  brides- 
maids. My  brother,  a  physician,  had  been  practising  his  profession  in 
Nyack,  New  York,  for  some  time,  and  so  the  new  home  was  begun  there. 

October  28,  1891,  Father  writes  in  his  diary: 

The  children  are  gathering  for  die  wedding  and  they  will  all  be  here 
to-morrow.  It  will  be  delightful  to  us  to  see  them.  We  have  not  had 
a  full  meeting  of  all  the  family  since  llie  dedication  of  the  church,  and 
we  may  never  meet  again  at  the  same  time  and  place.  I  am  very  weary 
and  I  know  I  cannot  work  much  longer.  May  they  become  the  Lord's 
children,  and  may  we  all  meet  in  heaven. 

These  words  were  prophetic,  for  the  next  family  gathering  was  two 
years  later,  when  we  met  to  attend  my  fatlier's  funeral  services. 

The  life  of  a  professional  or  literary  man  is  so  much  in  matters  of 
the  intelloi  t  that  an  account  of  the  trivial  events  of  every  day  do  not 
seem  to  represent  it  fairly.  Side  by  side  with  his  record  of  these  oc- 
currences there  are  many  reflections  upon  spiritual  subjects  in  the 
diary.  With  pen  in  hand,  my  father  thought  from  the  point  of  it,  and 
so  these  meditations  very  truly  represent  his  inner  life  and  character. 

October  6,  1891.  Our  unconscious  acts  have  some  effect  upon  char- 
acter as  well  as  those  things  we  do  of  distinct  purpose.  How  large  a 
part  of  the  activities  and  changes  of  the  world  and  in  vegetable  life 
are  unconscious! 

The  plants  move  without  any  effort  or  purpose  of  their  own.  The 
changes  and  activities  in  the  substances  of  the  material  world  have 
no  knowledge,  and  no  purpose,  and  no  consciousness.  They  are  the 
effects  of  a  purpose  and  consciousness  in  an  intelligent  Being,  and  the 
instruments  by  which  He  effects  His  purposes.  It  is  beautiful  to  see 
how  plants  grow  and  bear  fruit  as  of  themselves  without  any  knowl- 
edge or  purpose  in  themselves.  They  show  the  love  and  wisdom  of  the 
Lord  more  clearly  than  men.  They  do  not  resist  the  Divine  power  of 
the  Lord.  If  we  did  not,  how  happy  we  should  be!  We  should  have  no 
fears  or  cares. 

It  is  evident  tliat  we  ilo  not  move  forward  in  a  straight  line.     We 

-*^  441  }■♦- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

move  in  circles  and  spirals.  We  often  seem  to  come  back  to  the  same 
point,  but  we  do  not.  We  are  below  it  or  above  it.  If  we  are  ad- 
vancing in  spiritual  life  we  have  risen  above  it;  if  we  are  degener- 
ating we  have  fallen  below  it.  The  spiral  is  turning  down  and  out- 
ward to  the  world  and  to  the  lowest  conditions  of  life.  There  are 
many  examples  of  this  law  of  spiral  movement  in  the  material  world. 
There  is  constantly  accumulating  evidence  that  it  is  a  universal  law  of 
the  Divine  Order. 

October  19,  1891.  I  must  improve  my  time  more  fully  and  I  must 
be  about  my  Father's  business.  Though  I  tire  so  easily,  I  suppose  I 
might  do  much  more  work  if  when  I  was  weary  I  rested,  and  when 
I  was  rested  went  quietly  to  work.  I  must  do  that.  I  might  write  short 
articles  for  the  press.  Come,  let  us  see  what  an  old  man  can  do  when 
he  earnestly  desires  to  promote  the  interests  of  his  Heavenly  Father. 

Holmes  says  a  line  may  cost  hours  of  labor.  He  says  also  that  he 
cannot  think  out  a  poem  and  then  write  it.  He  must  have  pen  in  hand, 
and  the  pen,  ink,  and  paper  must  suit  him.  I  find  this  is  so  with  myself. 
I  cannot  make  a  sermon  in  my  mind  and  then  write  it. 

December  19,  1891.  It  seems  to  us  as  though  our  work  was  of  great 
importance.  But  we  are  only  mere  germ  cells  in  humanity.  Our  in- 
fluence is  almost  nothing.  Man's  prudence  compared  with  the  Divine 
prudence  is  only  as  a  mote  to  the  whole  atmosphere.  But  if  we  are 
only  a  cell  or  the  least  part  of  one  we  must  do  our  work  as  well  as  we 
can.  We  must  be  a  healdiy,  orderly,  active  cell,  giving  help  to  others 
and  making  our  influence  good,  as  far  as  it  extends.  We  must  be  open 
to  receive  and  free  to  pass  on  what  we  receive.  So  shall  we  gain  a  bless- 
ing and  be  a  blessing. 

As  Christmas  time  approached  my  father's  thoughts  turned  to  the 
children  of  the  church.  He  decided  to  make  them  a  present  of  a  story, 
'"The  Pocket  Compass."    This  was  published  in  the  Helper. 

I  like  to  write  for  children  but  I  am  quite  dissatisfied  with  what  I 
have  done.  I  suppose  I  should  be  if  I  had  written  much  more  and 
better.  Well,  such  as  it  is  it  must  remain.  Perhaps  I  ought  to  be 
thankful  that  the  Lord  has  enabled  me  to  do  so  much. 

-^{  442  )ie— 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1890-1891 

While  on  the  way  to  the  printer  with  the  manuscript  of  this  ston,'. 
Father  was  taken  with  the  gripjje,  and  was  quite  ill  for  several  weeks. 

The  Philadelphia  friends,  who  were  very  kind,  sent  many  Christmas 
presents  of  fruit  and  flowers.  Mr.  Giles  always  saw  a  deeper  beauty 
in  the  gifts  Uian  appeared  on  the  surface  and  his  letters  of  appreciation 
usually  embodied  some  of  the  thoughts  suggested  thereby.  Such  is  the 
following: 

I  thank  you  for  the  beautiful  roses.  They  have  fdled  my  room  with 
their  fragrance  and  my  heart  with  their  pure  and  tender  beauty.  What 
lovely  things  the  Lord  can  make  out  of  coarse  matter.  He  puts  some 
hint  of  His  own  beauty  and  glory  into  everything  He  creates.  If  our 
eyes  were  opened  we  should  see  more  and  more  of  it  in  everything 
around  us.  I  often  think  if  the  Lord  can  make  such  delicate  and  beauti- 
ful things  as  lilies  and  roses  out  of  gross  matter,  what  surpassing  ex- 
cellence and  perfection  tliere  must  be  in  all  spiritual  objects.  But  we 
must  have  eyes  to  see  them,  and  these  we  are  forming  now  by  the  truths 
we  receive  and  embody  in  a  life  of  love. 


►4  \.U  ^- 


CHAPTER   XIX 

Philadelphia  Pastorate,  1892-1893 

J  anuary  1,  1892.  The  New  Year!  May  it  be  a  new  year  to  me  and 
to  all  of  us  in  a  good  sense.  The  body  is  wearing  out;  it  is  going  to 
leave  me. 

On  January  25,  1892,  after  a  day  of  fatigue,  he  writes: 

I  went  to  bed  in  despair  of  doing  any  more  work.  But  why  should 
I  feel  so  about  it?  My  work  is  not  necessary  to  the  success  of  the  New 
Church.  I  must  not  count  it  as  of  too  much  importance;  but  I  see  so 
many  tilings  to  know  and  to  say.  No  one  can  exhaust  them.  No  one 
can  say  the  last  word. 

Then  on  February  9,  1892,  in  speaking  of  the  Tract  Society,  he  says: 

A  large  amount  of  business  has  been  done  during  the  year  and  the 
Society  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  It  is  really  performing  a  most 
important  use.  The  Helper  is  received  with  much  favor  everywhere. 
It  was  a  most  happy  hit  in  name  and  use.  It  is  so  small  that  it  is  not 
a  formidable  task  to  read  it.  It  is  unobtrusive  and  does  not  excite  fear 
or  awaken  hostility.  We  were  gradually  led  into  it  by  doing  the  work 
which  we  found  at  our  hand.  One  thing  led  to  another  until  the  way 
opened  for  our  little  periodical,  which  is  welcomed  by  thousands  of 
people.  I  am  very  thankful  that  we  have  been  led  to  the  performance 
of  this  use. 

The  diary  continues: 

March  12,  1892.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  the  minister  of  the 
New  Church  meets  in  writing  sermons  is  finding  so  much  to  say.  AU 
we  can  express  is  as  a  drop  to  the  ocean  compared  with  what  there  is  to 

-4  444  ^=- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

say.  But  no  one  can  drink  the  ocean  at  a  draught.  Perhaps  we  give 
more  than  the  people  can  receive.  "Enough  is  as  good  as  a  feast." 
We  must  be  content  to  give  what  we  can,  be  it  ever  so  little;  but  who  is 
content  with  what  he  has  or  does? 

March  16,  1892.  I  found  my  day's  work  yesterday  was  a  little  too 
much  for  me.  Either  the  snowstorm  or  overwork  played  the  mischief 
with  my  brain  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  do  mucli  to-day.  I  wrote  a 
few  pages  on  my  sermon  but  there  was  no  spirit  in  it.  My  old  servant, 
the  brain,  declares  it  can't  work.  So  I  tried  my  hands  and  my  feet. 
The  door  of  my  wardrobe  stuck  so  hard  that  it  was  quite  a  pull  to  open 
it.  I  went  to  borrow  a  plane  to  shave  it  off.  My  feet  trembled  and 
grumbled  at  the  errand,  but  I  found  the  tool.  When  I  applied  it  to 
the  door  my  hands  trembled  and  my  heart  thumped  and  my  lungs 
wheezed,  but  I  did  the  work  nicely.  Relieved  tiic  door  and  returned 
the  plane.  Came  home  and  rested  and  my  head  felt  better  for  llie  exer- 
cise of  my  hands  and  my  feet. 

On  April  2  he  preached  in  Baltimore.  The  occasion  was  the  cele- 
bration of  the  centennial  of  the  first  New  Church  sermon  delivered  in 
that  city. 

Work  tliat  followed  was  the  preparation  of  an  address  for  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Association,  plans  for  Easter,  and 
die  writing  of  his  address  for  Convention. 

In  April  the  Pennsylvania  Association  met,  and  Mr.  Giles  attended 
both  the  Ministers'  Meeting  and  that  of  the  Association.     He  writes: 

April  25.  At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Council  it  was  voted  to  re- 
munerate more  liberally  the  ministers  who  do  missionary  work.  Also 
to  establish  small  libraries  in  towns  wbere  any  one  can  be  found  to 
take  charge.  This  subj«"ct  came  up  afterwards  in  the  ciuirch  com- 
mittee. It  commended  itself  to  every  member  of  the  committee.  Tliey 
resolved  In  put  the  plan  in  execution  as  soon  as  possible.  This  is  one 
of  those  begiiHiings  which  may  result  in  great  good.  Nearly  all  the 
important  movements  in  the  church  have  commenced  in  that  way.  I 
will  do  all  I  can  to  make  it  a  success,  to  have  a  centre  of  New  Church 
life  in  every  town. 

April  28,  1892.     I  made  arrangements  to  semi  ten  thousand  tracts 

-^445)31- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

to  Australia,  and  some  books.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  do  it.  Our 
friends  there  have  had  a  hard  time.  They  have  lost  their  money,  and 
many  of  their  friends  have  been  compelled  to  move  away  to  find  busi- 
ness. It  seems  as  if  the  New  Church  were  having  a  hard  time  of  it 
everywhere.  But  it  will  come  out  all  right.  The  Lord  is  on  its  side 
and  it  is  His  bride  and  wife  and  He  will  support  it.  There  is  hope  and 
comfort  in  that.     But  we  must  do  all  we  can. 

On  May  5  he  writes: 

Now  I  am  very  well  prepared  for  Convention. 

I  attended  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  the  Chillicothe  Fund  and  we 
resolved  to  give  the  Ohio  Board  of  Missions  one  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars a  year  for  two  years.  The  fund  has  nearly  doubled  since  it  came 
into  our  hands  and  we  have  contributed  nine  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
to  missionary  uses.  This  is  much  better  than  to  have  spent  it  in  pub- 
lishing a  liturgy  or  building  a  church  in  a  small  town. 

An  accoimt  of  the  origin  of  the  Chillicothe  Fund  was  furnished  me 
by  Rev.  Wm.  L.  Worcester,  and  is  given  herewith : 

On  April  15,  1838,  the  Chillicothe  Society  was  formed  of  a  few  be- 
lievers. Meetings  for  worship  were  held  at  the  homes  of  Dr.  Sproat 
and  Mr.  John  S.  Williams,  a  United  States  civil  engineer  engaged  in 
laying  out  the  national  road  from  the  East  to  the  West  through  Ohio. 

Money  was  soon  raised  to  build  a  small  church,  holding  perhaps 
two  hundred  persons.  In  the  absence  of  any  visiting  minister  Mr. 
Joseph  Jones,  a  bookseller  in  Chillicothe,  conducted  the  worship  imder 
the  forms  of  the  Boston  Society's  first  book  of  worship,  published  in 
1836. 

The  General  Convention  received  the  money  for  the  sale  of  the 
Chillicothe  church  after  that  society's  membership  had  become  scat- 
tered and  the  church  sold.  This  money,  as  I  imderstand  it,  became  the 
"Chillicothe  Fund,"  independent  of  the  Convention,  but  held  by  four 
trustees  for  the  benefit  of  general  New  Church  uses.  The  Fund  now 
(1919)  amounts  to  about  ten  thousand  dollars  and  makes  contributions 
yearly  to  general  uses,  such  as  the  Board  of  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 

-'^i  446  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

sions,  the  Augmentation  Fund,  etc.  Contributions  have  several  times 
been  made  to  general  uses  of  the  New  Church  in  Ohio,  in  recognition 
of  the  fact  that  the  Fund  came  from  that  state. 

Of  the  journey  to  Convention  Mr.  Giles  writes: 

The  day  was  cool  and  bright.  The  car  ran  so  smoothly  that  it  seemed 
to  be  at  rest.  The  country  is  looking  very  beautiful.  Tlie  apple  trees 
are  in  their  glory.  As  we  rushed  past  tliem  they  seemed  to  spring  out 
of  the  earth  in  the  beauty  and  glory  of  their  wedding  robes.  The 
leaves  of  the  trees  in  tlieir  pale  and  tender  green  were  rejoicing  in  the 
light.  The  earth  and  the  sky  were  glorious  in  the  smile  of  the  Lord. 
How  beautiful  the  earth  is!  What  variety  of  color  and  form!  Surely 
we  ought  to  see  the  Lord's  wisdom  in  everything.  How  much  it  would 
add  to  the  interest  of  ever)thing  around  us  if  we  regarded  it  as  the 
Lord's  work  to-day,  as  His  gift  to  us,  as  a  token  of  His  love  for  us! 

As  we  passed  Xenia  and  Morrow  and  other  places,  many  old  associa- 
tions, some  bitter,  some  sweet,  were  revived.  How  wonderfully  the 
Lord  has  led  me!  How  little  I  dreamed  what  He  had  in  store  for  me 
when  I  was  working  my  way  along  by  teaching  school.  Truly  He  leads 
by  a  way  we  know  not. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  had  looked  forward  with  especial  pleasure  to  the 
Convention  in  Cincinnati;  to  the  renewing  of  old  friendships  and  the 
revival  of  old  memories.  The  hajipy  anticipations  were  not  realized, 
for  Mr.  Giles  took  cold,  the  weather  was  unpropitious,  and  he  was 
housed  the  greater  part  of  the  time  during  this  his  last  visit  to  his  first 
field  of  labor  in  the  ministry. 

He  managed,  although  verj'  hoarse,  to  deliver  his  annual  address; 
he  also  went  to  church  on  Sunday  and  the  next  day  opened  Convention. 
But  the  church  was  cold  and  damj)  and  he  did  not  dare  to  remain  in  it. 
He  speaks  with  approval  of  the  action  ot  the  Board  ol  Missions  in  vot- 
ing to  employ  Mr.  Smith  for  one  year  as  missionary.  He  was  also 
much  pleased  with  their  vote  to  contribute  towards  the  salan,'  of  Dr. 
Lewis  of  Washington  (he  was  a  colored  man)  and  Mr.  Giles  was  very 
desirous  of  having  a  trial  made  with  the  colored  people,  for,  he  re- 
marks, '"We  ought  to  be  able  to  do  somelliing  for  llirin  if  wli.it  Swi-dcn- 
borg  says  about  them  is  true." 

Of  his  illness  in  Cincinnati  li<-  writes: 

-^  447  jr»- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Philadelphia,  June  1,  1892. 
The  Convention  was  in  some  respects  a  great  disappointment  to  me. 
I  was  not  able  to  do  anything  or  to  see  what  others  were  doing.  I  did 
not  meet  with  the  Convention  from  Tuesday  afternoon  until  Satur- 
day evening.  In  the  meantime,  Wednesday  evening  the  New  Church 
friends  in  Cincinnati  gave  the  ministers  a  reception,  and  as  a  special 
feature  of  it  they  had  purchased  a  beautiful  picture  to  present  to  me. 
I  was  not  there  to  receive  it,  but  it  was  presented  by  Mr.  Hobart,  who 
made,  it  is  said,  a  very  pleasant  speech  about  me.  I  was  at  Mrs. 
M 's,  coughing  at  a  furious  rate. 

Upon  their  return  home  the  church  committee  voted  that  Mr.  Giles's 
vacation  should  begin  at  once.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  was  able 
Mrs.  Giles  and  he  went  to  Lake  George.  While  making  preparations 
he  writes: 

I  am  going  to  take  a  box  of  books  with  me.  That  will  look  like  work 
and  tend  to  mollify  conscience.  I  may  read  some;  but  I  forget  as 
fast  as  I  read.  It  is  like  pouring  water  into  a  sieve.  The  only  differ- 
ence being  that  the  sieve  takes  no  pleasure  in  having  the  water  run 
through  it,  while  I  do,  in  the  flow  of  ideas  from  the  book  through  my 
mind. 

The  summer  was  his  time  of  rest,  but  notwithstanding,  my  father 
improved  every  opportunity  to  aid  those  in  need  of  help.  This  was 
written  to  a  friend  who  had  met  with  business  trials: 

The  Sagamore,  August  1,  1892. 

We  have  thought  much  and  sympathized  deeply  with  you  in  your 
financial  difficulties,  and  wished  we  could  assist  you  in  overcoming 
them.  But  the  most  we  can  do  is  to  try  to  help  you  to  bear  them  and 
to  see  or  believe  that  a  much  greater  good  will  come  to  you  and  to 
your  family  by  these  trials  than  could  have  come  by  the  greatest  finan- 
cial success. 

We  know  that  the  Lord  looks  to  our  eternal  good  in  all  He  provides 
and  permits;  that  our  wisdom  in  comparison  with  His  wisdom  is  only 
as  a  mote  to  the  whole  atmosphere.     If  we  could  acknowledge  this  we 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

should  submit  and  trust  that  whatever  might  be  the  external  outcome  of 
our  diiriculties,  the  spiritual  and  permanent  good  must  be  much  greater 
than  any  natural  success.  If  we  could  see  them  in  all  their  bearings 
upon  our  eternal  good  as  the  Lord  sees  them,  we  should  thank  Him 
for  them  as  we  would  thank  a  friend  who  had  saved  us  from  dro\vn- 
ing,  though  with  much  violence  and  natural  loss  to  us. 

The  Lord  does  not  help  us  suddenly  out  of  our  difficulties.  He  helps 
us  in  them  and  to  bear  them,  and  to  see  the  evils  which  led  us  into  them, 
which  perhaps  we  could  not  then  have  overcome;  and  if  He  does  not 
lead  us  into  the  same  or  greater  success,  He  gives  us  a  spiritual  and 
more  precious  good  in  the  place  of  the  natural  one. 

The  motives  you  mention  which  led  you  to  desire  a  larger  income  are 
worthy  ones  in  some  respects,  but  they  are  more  natural  than  spiritual. 

The  whole  course  of  the  Divine  Providence  in  relation  to  men  is 
directed  to  helping  them  to  act  in  freedom  from  themselves.  It  may 
be  far  better  for  every  one  of  your  children  to  gain  a  position  by  labor 
and  privation,  even,  than  to  be  lifted  into  it,  if  that  were  possible,  witli- 
out  any  exertion  of  his  or  her  own.  But  you  know  these  things  as  well 
as  I  do. 

It  seems  to  me  that  your  true  wisdom  consists  in  accepting  the  con- 
sequences of  your  action  by  trying  to  see  what  greater  evils  may  be 
prevented  and  what  larger  gains  obtained  by  them.  It  is  proper  and 
wise,  and  is  your  duty  to  use  all  due  efforts  to  extricate  yourself  from 
them,  while  at  the  same  time  you  submit  to  the  condition  and  try  to  find 
the  blessing  in  it.  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  ininish  the  evil  spirits  lliat  are 
tormenting  you.  Lie  down  in  peace  and  sleep,  knowing  that  the  Lord 
alone  can  make  you  dwell  in  safety.  Do  the  best  you  can  to-day  in  a 
calm  and  resolute  spirit,  and  then  cast  the  whole  burden  upon  the  Lord 
and  sleep  all  night.  The  way  will  open  as  you  go  along,  day  l)y  day, 
to  extricate  you  from  your  difficulties,  and  strength  will  be  given  you 
to  bear  them. 

I  am  afraid  my  letter  may  sound  hard  am!  imfceling,  but  I  assure 

you  it  is  not. 

We  think  of  you  and  Mrs.  M.  often  and  with  deep  affection  and  wish 
we  could  help  you.    But  in  many  things  "  Vain  is  tlie  help  of  man." 

-4  449  )9— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

The  following  extracts  from  his  letters  and  the  diary  show  that  when 
misfortune  came  to  him  Mr.  Giles  practised  what  he  preached: 

A  week  ago  yesterday  I  sprained  the  large  muscles  in  the  calf  of 
my  leg  in  going  up  one  of  the  terraces  here.  The  sprain  was  very 
severe  and  has  been  very  painful.  My  leg  swelled  and  was  so  painful 
that  I  could  not  walk  for  some  days  and  my  meals  were  brought  to  my 
room.  Day  before  yesterday  I  was  attacked  with  inflammation  in  the 
joint  of  my  great  toe.  Some  people  say  it  was  or  is  gout.  It  is  painful 
enough  to  deserve  the  hardest  names  that  can  be  given  to  it.  I  could 
not  bear  the  weight  of  even  the  sheet  upon  it.  It  is  better  to-day  or  I 
should  not  be  sitting  up  and  writing  to  you. 

In  the  diary  we  find  the  following: 

September  3,  1892.  It  seems  strange  that  I  should  have  met  with 
this  accident  (?)  we  call  it.  What  greater  evil  did  it  prevent?  To  what 
good  can  it  lead?  These  are  questions  which  no  one  can  answer.  It  is 
a  comfort  to  know  that  the  Lord  provides  only  good.  He  foresees  the 
evil  and  uses  it  to  prevent  a  greater  evil,  and  if  possible  to  lead  to  some 
good.  But  how  or  what  who  can  tell?  I  can  see  in  one  way  how  it  may 
be  of  service  to  me.  If  it  leads  me  to  trust  more  firmly  in  the  Lord,  if 
it  opens  a  little  wider  and  fuller  any  fibril  of  spiritual  affection,  or 
leads  me  to  gain  and  apply  to  life  any  spiritual  truth,  it  will  be  of  im- 
measurable importance  to  me. 

For  that  truth  will  be  as  a  seed  sown  in  good  ground,  which  will  bring 
forth  abundantly  and  continue  to  increase  to  eternity.  Who  can  meas- 
ure its  value!     May  I  have  wisdom  to  profit  by  ray  natural  loss! 

September  23,  1892.  We  spent  the  morning  in  packing  our  trunks. 
Wliat  a  job  it  is!  We  bring  so  many  little  things  with  us  that  it  is  much 
work  to  put  them  into  the  small  space  of  a  trunk.  We  need  many 
things,  but  we  bring  many  raore  than  we  need. 

I  was  thinking  this  morning  how  different  it  will  be  in  the  spiritual 
world.  There  we  shall  carry  everything  witliin  us,  and  what  we  need 
will  be  created  without  us,  as  we  need  it.  The  Lord  will  give  us  all 
our  special  needs  as  we  can  use  tliem.  How  wonderful  it  will  be.  Then 
we  are  to  live  forever.    The  thought  is  overwhelming. 

-^  450  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

There  is  growth  and  change  everywhere  and  decay  in  this  worhl,  hut 
none  in  the  spiritual  worhl.  Spirit  cannot  decay.  Ideas,  thoughts, 
affections,  are  imniorlal.  Thouglit  becomes  quiescent  and  unconscious 
for  a  time,  but  it  can  be  revived.  What  a  grand  prospect  there  is  before 
the  regenerate  man! 

The  autumn  montlis  did  not  bring  with  them  the  usual  vigor  which 
Mr.  Giles  felt  after  the  summer's  rest.  In  November  he  suffered  at 
times  from  palpitation  of  tlie  heart,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month 
those  peculiar  chills  which  were  a  prominent  symptom  of  the  early  part 
of  his  last  illness  began. 

True  to  his  habits  of  industry  Mr.  Giles,  as  health  and  occasion  per- 
mitted, tried  to  do  his  work. 

On  November  20Ui  he  lectured  on  the  "  World  of  Spirits."  It  was 
the  first  of  a  series  planned  for  the  season.  He  spoke  extempore,  and 
as  he  frequently  remarks  of  other  times,  "  got  through  better  than  he 
expected."  Although  there  were  other  official  acts  this  was  the  last 
time  that  he  spoke  in  public,  either  to  lecture  or  preach.  Tlie  first  men- 
tion which  he  makes  of  his  illness  is  in  one  of  the  family  letters,  dated 
December  8,  1892. 

I  am  still  able  to  write  "excelsior";  I  am  up  on  my  feet  and  have 
been  nearly  all  day.  The  doctor  says  I  look  better  tlian  he  has  seen 
me  this  winter.  He  is  a  great  flatterer.  I  have  been  sitting  up  in 
"Sleepy  Hollow"  nearly  all  day.  Perhaps  it  should  be  called  ■"in- 
clining" up.  I  have  had  my  clothes  on  and  feel  more  like  a  man,  and 
a  well  one  at  that.  The  doctor  says  he  has  never  seen  a  case  like  mine. 
I  had  no  chill,  it  was  a  shake.  I  shook  for  an  hour  and  a  half  as  though 
I  should  go  to  pieces.  No  fever  of  consequence  followed,  ami  no  pro- 
fuse perspiration.  I  think  we  must  call  it  the  "  Giles  shake  "  and  claim 
a  special  right  to  it.  I  am  sure  no  one  would  want  it  but  me.  All 
fairly  well  as  usual. 

When  I  was  visiting  at  home  we  went  one  day  lor  a  drive.  lather, 
always  susceptible  to  the  beauties  of  nature,  enjoyed  it  much.  Just  as 
we  neared  home  he  asked  the  coachman  to  drive  fa-h-r.  No  sooner  were 
we  in  the  house  than  be  was  taken  with  one  ol  those  lerrililc  chills. 
In  a  few  moments  he  seemed  to  shrivel ;  he  grew  yellow  and  looked  many 
years  older.  His  whole  bndv  shook  and  his  |)()or  teelli  eliallered.  Even 
in  the  midst  of  it  with  the  humorous  instinct  so  strong  in  him  he  man- 

-4  451  }•-- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

aged  to  gasp  out,  "  F-f-f oiks  c-c-an't  s-say  I  'm  n-n-no  g-g-great  shakes 
now.' 

He  wrote  some  letters  in  the  autumn  and  a  brief  introduction  to  a 
pocket  edition  of  one  of  the  chapters  in  the  "  True  Christian  Religion." 
He  consecrated  a  marriage  service,  but  remarks  in  his  diary,  "  I  was 
not  feeling  well,  and  it  was  more  than  a  usual  task  for  me."  Once  or 
twice  he  went  down  town  of  an  errand,  but  such  exertion  was  always 
followed  by  great  fatigue.  I  accompanied  him  the  very  last  time  he 
went.  I  think  it  was  in  the  spring  of  1893.  As  the  car  passed  the 
church  he  loved  so  well  he  turned  and  looked  at  it  as  long  as  it  could  be 
seen.     He  was  bidding  it  a  silent  farewell.    Neither  of  us  spoke. 

On  December  31st  he  writes: 

I  commenced  a  course  of  "  Swedish  Movement  Cure  "  this  evening. 
The  doctor  thinks  it  will  be  of  great  service  to  me;  I  am  sure  I  hope  it 
may.  I  would  be  glad  if  I  could  get  well  enough  to  put  some  of  my 
lectures  and  discourses  into  shape,  and  prepare  them  for  publication, 
if  it  should  be  thought  useful  to  print  them.  I  intend  to  publish  one 
or  two  volumes  at  my  own  expense,  as  a  kind  of  legacy  to  the  church. 
They  might  perform  some  use  when  I  am  gone. 

This  is  the  last  day  of  the  year.  I  have  done  less  work  than  in  any 
year  for  a  long  time.  The  severe  cold  I  caught  at  the  Convention,  which 
was  continued  and  increased  by  additions,  prevented  me  from  doing 
much  before  my  vacation.  Since  I  came  home  I  have  been  ill  nearly 
two  months;  I  have  not  worked  more  than  half  the  time. 

January  1,  1893.  The  new  year  has  been  a  quiet  and  pleasant  one 
witliin  doors  but  a  very  gloomy  and  stormy  one  without. 

Jan.  2.  This  day  has  passed  as  have  most  of  my  days  for  the  last 
two  months.  I  have  read  some,  vyrritten  some,  and  lounged  about  my 
room.  I  have  made  a  slight  advance;  I  went  down  to  dinner.  It  was 
very  pleasant  to  eat  with  the  family  again.  It  seems  more  like  living. 
I  hope  I  shall  not  be  compelled  to  take  any  more  solitary  meals. 

Jan.  22.  Ordained  Peter  C.  Lewis  pastor  of  the  church  for  colored 
people  in  Washington. 

Feb.  19.  I  went  to  the  church  for  the  first  time  for  three  months,  and 
administered  the  Holy  Supper.  I  was  very  feeble  and  somewhat  ex- 
hausted, but  I  suffered  no  harm  from  it. 

-^  452  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,   1892-1893 

After  the  sacrament  Mr.  Worcester  stood  guard  at  the  door  of  the 
vestry  and  protected  Mr.  Giles  from  the  many  friends  who  wished  to 
have  a  word  with  their  pastor,  absent  from  their  midst  for  so  long. 

Last  Sunday,  the  26th  of  February,  I  ordained  Adam  B.  Dolly  at  the 
church  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation.  So  I  am  beginning  to  per- 
form some  of  the  duties  of  my  office  once  more. 

March  1.  My  hopes  of  getting  well  have  been  sorely  blasted.  Since 
writing  the  last  page  I  have  been  much  worse.  Relapse  after  relapse 
has  kept  me  down.  At  one  time  I  was  able  to  ride  out,  but  tlie  second 
time  I  was  seized  with  a  chill,  and  that  put  an  end  to  my  riding. 

I  am  now  a  little  better  and  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  do  some  work. 

The  diary  records  the  following  official  acts,  which,  with  one  addi- 
tional, were  the  last  he  performed. 

April  2,  Easter  Sunday.  I  confirmed  eleven  young  ladies  this  morn- 
ing. It  was  an  interesting  sight.  Some  of  those  who  were  confirmed 
came  forward  quite  unexpectedly.  I  hope  they  may  become  useful 
members  of  the  church.  The  Holy  Supper  was  administered  to  over 
two  hundred  communicants,  the  largest  number  who  ever  partook  at 
one  time  in  my  church,  except  at  Convention.  I  am  ver>'  thankful  that 
I  was  able  to  administer  it. 

May  12,  1893.  I  have  been  too  ill  to  write  much,  and  I  have  nothing 
to  record  but  a  series  of  disappointments  with  regard  to  my  health.  I 
have  not  preached  once.  I  have  been  able  to  perform  some  occasional 
services,  but  I  am  not  as  well  and  strong  as  I  was  three  montlis  ago,  and 
there  seems  to  be  very  little  prospect  of  my  ever  being  better. 

When  I  have  had  any  strength  I  have  worked  on  a  little  book  which 
I  hope  will  give  comfort  and  consolation  to  some  bereaved  soul. 

The  above  is  the  last  entry  in  the  diary. 

During  my  father's  long  illness  the  children,  as  tliey  had  opportunity, 
spent  the  lime  in  the  Philadel|)hia  home  and  assisted  in  the  nursing. 
My  sister  was  with  him  several  montlis  in  the  early  part  of  his  illness, 
and  again  at  various  times  during  the  year.  The  relation  between  her 
and  my  father  was  very  close.  Again  and  again  he  speaks  of  her 
"lovely  presence,"  and  both  Mother  and  Father  were  greatly  cheered 
by  her  visits.     My  brothers  were  engaged  in  their  business  or  jirofes- 

-*•{  453  )S^- 


THE  LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

sional  duties,  but  their  vacation  time  was  spent  in  ministering  to  the 
needs  of"  their  dear  father.  It  was  no  sacrifice.  They  simply  could 
not  have  done  otherwise.  In  these  last  offices  Mr.  Worcester,  who  was 
like  a  son  to  my  father,  shared  the  family  labor  of  love.  He  too  gave 
up  his  vacation  in  order  to  help. 

The  eleventh  of  May  was  Mr.  Giles's  eightietli  birthday.  Early  in 
the  morning  Mr.  Worcester  went  far  afield  and  returned  with  beautiful 
branches  of  dogwood.  These  with  many  other  flowers  sent  by  kind 
friends  decorated  the  study,  making  that  centre  of  our  home  life  a 
bower  of  beauty. 

The  next  morning  my  father  performed  his  last  official  act,  the 
baptism  of  a  little  child,  amongst  his  birthday  flowers.  It  was  a  touch- 
ing scene. 

When  summer  came  he  was  unable  to  go  to  Lake  George,  or  to  accept 
the  offer  which  came  for  the  last  time  from  the  unknown  friend  who 
had  so  often  engaged  staterooms  for  his  visits  to  Europe. 

The  summer  was  passed  quietly  in  his  home  in  35th  Street  witli  the 
family  in  attendance.  It  was  not  until  the  autumn  that  he  needed  pro- 
fessional nursing.  A  bed  was  placed  in  his  bright  sunny  study,  and 
there  he  lay,  surrounded  by  his  books  to  the  last. 

His  thoughts  dwelt  but  little  on  himself,  although  he  knew  clearly 
that  it  was  his  last  illness;  but,  as  he  said,  "  It  is  only  like  going  to  the 
next  room." 

His  diary  mentions  the  work  on  "  Consolation,"  and  I  will  speak  of 
it  more  in  detail  later  on. 

There  are  some  letters  which  the  recipients  prize  very  highly  tliat 
he  wrote  in  this  last  year  of  his  life.  One  such  is  the  following  to  Rev. 
Wm.  L.  Worcester,  dated  1893: 

Please  accept  this  Pocket  Communion  Service  as  a  token  of  my  great 
regard  and  sincere  affection.  I  present  it  to  you  now,  that  there  may 
be  no  mistake  about  its  becoming  yours. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thought  to  me  that  you  will  have  it  and  use  it  when  I 
am  no  more  with  you  in  this  world. 

Hoping  you  may  live  long  to  use  it  for  the  comfort  of  the  feeble,  in 

the  holiest  act  of  worship,  I  remain  with  increased  respect  and  deep 

affection  ,r        r  •      i        i  i       i 

Your  triend  and  brother, 

Chauncey  Giles. 

-'•^  454  ^f"~ 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

The  friend  who  received  the  following  letter  of  July  4th  has  often 
mentioned  with  pleasure  the  fact  that  he  was  considered  to  be,  as  men- 
tioned here,  my  father's  right-hand  man. 

Yours  of  yesterday  has  just  come  to  hand.  It  gives  me  much  pleasure 
to  know  that  you  and  Mrs.  M.  like  my  little  book  ["Consolation"]  and 
think  it  will  be  useful.  It  was  written  by  bits,  and  some  of  them  very 
small  ones,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  might  appear  to  others  to  have 
come  from  the  scrap  bag  rather  than  fresh-coined  from  a  living  mind; 
but  if  it  comforts  and  consoles  any  bereaved  ones,  it  will  perform  tlie 
use  for  which  it  was  written,  and  that  is  all  I  can  ask. 

It  was  a  great  shock  to  us  to  learn  of  the  burning  of  the  Sagamore, 
We  have  spent  so  many  restful,  happy  days  there  that  it  seemed  like  a 
personal  loss.  Though  I  did  not  expect  to  see  it  again  I  could  think  of 
it  and  localize  many  enjoyments.  We  think  of  it  and  speak  of  it  as 
being  some  day  rebuilt,  but  not  on  the  exact  spot  or  with  construction 
like  the  old  one. 

There  is  nothing  new  to  say  about  myself.  I  do  not  see  that  I  am 
improving  any  in  health,  but  am  rather  growing  weaker.  Dr.  Mac  has 
tapped  me  twice  for  dropsy,  which  has  given  me  only  temporary  relief, 
and  I  suppose  that  is  all  that  can  be  done  for  me.  Dr.  Mac  told  my 
son  Chauncey  that  science  could  do  a  great  deal  for  me,  but  it  would 
not  make  a  new  heart.  I  hope  there  is  one  making  for  me,  but  it  will 
not  come  into  consciousness  until  tlie  old  one  is  discarded.  The  old 
machinery  is  nearly  worn  out  and  must  soon  go  to  pieces. 

You  have  indeed  rendered  me  very  important  services,  and  been  my 
right-hand  man,  for  which  I  feel  sincerely  grateful.  Perhaps  you  can 
assist  me  in  selecting  a  lot  where  tlie  old  garments  can  be  decently 
deposited. 

I  have  not  written  a  letter  before  for  some  days,  but  I  took  the 
strength  of  the  morning  and  have  been  abli-  to  fini-li  this. 

The  last  mouths  of  my  father's  life  it  was  my  precious  privilege,  for 
which  I  shall  ever  be  grateful,  to  be  with  him  until  a  week  ix-fore  his 
death.  The  lessons  learned  from  such  an  example  were  so  helpful  and 
comforting  that  I  wrote  a  short  acconiit  for  my  children,  from  which 
I  have  taken  the  following  extracts: 

-4  455  jai- 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

As  you  know,  your  dear  grandfather  has  been  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  long  life  very  strong  and  a  very  hard  worker,  it  being  always 
his  greatest  pleasure  to  be  useful  to  others. 

During  this  last  year  tliat  active  body  has  been  growing  weaker  and 
weaker,  and  during  die  month  I  was  with  him  he  grew  daily  more  help- 
less, and  at  the  last  he  could  not  turn  himself  over  in  bed;  he  could  not 
lift  his  head;  he  could  not  even  be  fed  wiUi  a  spoon,  but  had  to  take  his 
only  nourishment  through  a  tube.  He  was  so  thin  that  his  face  was 
very  much  changed  and  you  would  hardly  have  known  him  if  you  had 
seen  him. 

Now  tliis  dear  Grandpa  who  loved  so  to  work  for  others,  naturally 
disliked  to  make  otlier  people  trouble  by  having  them  wait  on  him,  so 
it  was  very  hard  for  him  to  be  so  weak  and  dependent.  But  he  learned 
to  be  very  grateful  for  anything  that  was  done  for  him;  and  so  sweetly 
patient  was  he  that  we  felt  as  if  he  had  done  us  a  favor  when  he  let  us 
do  the  least  thing  for  him. 

Although  his  body  was  so  weak,  his  mind  was  as  strong  as  ever.  He 
was  being  daily  prepared  by  the  Lord  for  his  birth  into  the  spiritual 
world,  and  becoming  more  and  more  like  the  little  child  that  we  must 
all  be  like  if  we  would  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

I  wish  I  could  make  you  feel  and  see  this  strong  contrast  between  his 
weak  body  and  his  clear,  wise  mind  as  we  who  were  with  him  saw  it. 
It  was  like  caring  for  a  very  wise  baby.  You  know  his  heart  was  dis- 
eased, and  at  times  this  poor  weak  heart  would  flutter  and  beat  irregu- 
larly and  dear  Grandpa  would  be  nearly  strangled,  gasping  for  breath. 
It  was  always  a  surprise  to  find  when  he  began  to  be  better  from  these 
attacks  that  instead  of  saying,  "Oh,  how  I  have  suffered!  What  a 
dreadful  time  I  have  had!"  as  one  might  expect,  he  would  begin  to 
speak  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  illness  of  something  he  would  like  done 
for  the  comfort  of  others,  as  once  when  he  wanted  some  awnings  made 
for  the  windows.  Later  on,  more  spiritual  things  occupied  his  mind, 
but  it  was  never  of  himself  he  talked. 

Once  when  he  had  been  propped  up  in  bed  against  me  and  gasp- 
ing for  a  long  time,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  breath  to  speak  he  said, 
"What  are  those  words  —  'Bless  the  Lord'  —  'Bless  the  Lord'?" 
I  said,  "Do  you  mean,  'Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul'?"  and  as  he 
said  "  Yes,"  I  repeated  for  him  as  much  of  the  10.3d  Psalm  as  I  could 
remember. 

Although  the  words  of  the  Lord  were  much  in  his  thoughts,  he  had 
some  difficulty  in  keeping  them  in  his  mind  connectedly.     As  he  said, 

—^  456  }§^- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

"  I  can  only  remember  tlireads  and  fragments,  but  they  are  golden 
threads."  Tlien  he  told  me  of  his  trying  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Two 
or  three  times  he  tried  but  could  not  remember  it  all.  '"  Finally,"  said 
he,  "  with  the  Lord's  help  I  tried  again  and  this  time  I  said  it  through." 

Knowing  that  he  could  not  get  well  and  that  his  active  work  in  this 
world  was  done,  he  was  very  eager  to  leave  it,  and  for  a  time  was  un- 
willing to  do  anything  to  prolong  his  stay  here. 

When  the  nurse  brought  him  his  beef  tea  he  would  say,  "Why  do 
you  bring  me  this?  The  Lord  wants  me  to  go  and  you  are  trying  to 
keep  me  here."  He  afterwards  made  no  objections  to  food  or  remedies, 
but  took  all  with  a  sweet  submissiveness  that  was  very  touching.  One 
day  die  doctor  wished  to  tap  him  in  order  to  remove  the  water  that 
was  swelling  the  abdomen.  '"No,  Doctor,"  he  said,  "let  it  be;  it  is  of 
no  use.  It  will  only  prolong  my  suffering  and  die  end  must  come."  He 
was  afterwards  somewhat  disturbetl,  fearing  he  had  not  done  exactly 
right.  "  I  do  not  wish  to  prolong  my  life,"  he  said,  "  neither  do  I  wish 
to  shorten  it  more  than  the  Lord  intends."  He  was  assured  that  it  could 
make  no  real  difference,  and  he  was  quite  right  in  refusing  to  be  lanced 
if  he  did  not  wish  it. 

He  was  not  only  patient  and  cheerful,  but  he  was  at  times  full  of  fun 
and  would  make  little  jokes.     One  morning  when  the  nurse  was  going 

out  for  her  daily  walk  he  said,  "Why,  Miss  0 ,  you  never  ask  me 

to  go  with  you." 

Another  time,  earlier  in  his  illness,  the  one  who  was  nursing  him  at 
night  had  fallen  asleep  quite  heavily;  Grandpa  wanted  someUiing,  and 
as  he  could  not  make  himself  heard,  he  got  up  and  helped  himself. 
Then  he  stood  for  a  moment  by  the  sofa  on  which  the  sleeper  lay.  and 
as  he  awoke  said  to  him  with  a  roguish  twinkle  of  the  eyes,  and  that 
wrinkle  of  the  nose  you  all  know  so  well,  "  Is  there  anything  I  can  do 
for  you?  " 

Friends  were  very  kind  in  sending  flowers  and  he  enjoyed  them  very 
much,  saying  always,  "  How  kind  of  them  to  think  of  me.  Be  sure 
to  thank  Uieni  for  me."  And  then  he  thought  of  these  flowers  not  only 
as  from  his  friends  but  as  a  beautiful  gift  from  the  Lord.  He  would 
say,  "  I  love  to  think  of  these  things  as  sent  directly  to  me  from  the 
Lord,  not  of  course  to  me  exclusively,  but  they  are  just  as  much  espe- 
cially for  me  as  if  sent  to  me  alone." 

There  was  anoUier  thought  that  gave  him  much  comfort.  You  all 
know  the  verse:  "He  shall  give  His  angels  charge  over  the.-,  to  keep 
thee   in  all  thy  ways.     They  shall   bear  thee  up  in  their  hands,  lest 

-<i  457  \^- 


THE   LIFE    OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone."  Well,  he  thought  of  that  in 
this  way:  "  It  has  come  to  me  since  I  lie  here  that  when  I  try  to  bear  and 
find  it  hard,  the  Lord  sustains  me  through  those  who  are  nursing  and 
caring  for  me.  The  Lord  cannot  come  directly;  He  is  Divine  and  In- 
finite; we  are  only  finite.  Angels  cannot  come  to  us  consciously;  they 
are  spiritual;  neither  can  good  spirits,  for  we  are  natural;  but  He  sends 
His  loving  thoughts  through  the  angels  and  good  spirits,  each  bearing 
the  message  in  turn  till  it  comes  to  the  minds  of  the  loving  friends  that 
are  near.  They  having  natural  bodies  can  bring  it  out  into  the  minis- 
tering acts  which  sustain  and  lighten  our  burdens." 

He  said,  "  If  I  were  well  I  would  write  a  sermon  on  this  subject." 
It  was  suggested  that  perhaps  Mr.  Worcester  would  do  it  some  time. 
And  sure  enough,  the  very  first  sermon  he  wrote  after  your  grand- 
father's death  was  on  this  subject,  and  in  it,  when  bringing  out  this 
idea,  he  referred  to  it  as  one  which  had  much  occupied  dear  Father's 
mind. 

He  had  always  hoped,  and  had  some  reason  to  think  (as  he  had 
heart  disease)  that  he  might  suddenly  drop  down  in  the  midst  of  his 
active  work.  But  this  was  not  to  be,  and  instead  he  bad  a  long,  linger- 
ing illness  witli,  as  he  said,  "  everything,  the  utter  helplessness,  tlie  hav- 
ing to  be  fed  and  cared  for  in  other  ways  —  everything  that  I  have  most 
dreaded  when  thinking  of  such  things.  But  I  suppose  I  did  not  know 
what  was  best  for  me." 

Wlien  he  was  suffering  so  from  the  tingling  and  burning  caused  by 
the  dropsy  in  his  limbs,  some  one  said,  "  I  don't  see  how  you  can  bear 
it  so  patiently."  "  Why,"  he  replied,  "  it  is  much  easier  to  bear  it 
patiently  than  it  would  be  to  bear  it  impatiently." 

A  good  life  in  this  world  is  the  best  preparation  for  the  other,  but 
even  with  those  who  have  tlius  lived,  there  is  some  last  work  to  be 
done  before  the  spirit  is  fully  prepared  to  leave  the  body. 

It  is  necessary  for  us  to  acknowledge  fully  that  we  have  no  life  in 
ourselves,  that  we  have  none  except  from  the  Lord.  This,  dear  Father 
came  to  very  completely.  He  had  some  sharp  spiritual  struggles  when 
he  would  say,  "  0  Lord,  pity  me!  0  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me!  "  and 
again,  "I  am  nothing,  nothing,  —  a  mere  speck  in  the  universe."  We 
used  to  read  from  the  Word  to  him  at  such  times,  or  pray  silently,  or 
sing  hymns  to  him:  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  "  Whoso  in  God  alone 
confideth,"  "  Jerusalem  the  Golden,"  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul,"  to  the 
time  of  Martyn;  "  Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss,"  were  some  of  his 
favorites.     He  also  liked  greatly  to  hear,  "  Oh,  rest  in  the  Lord,"  and 

-^  4.58  f>- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,    1892-1893 

after  it  was  sung  would  repeat  "  Rest  in  the  Lord  "  with  so  much  feeling 
and  expression.  The  times  of  struggle  and  contest  grew  less  frequent 
and  were  of  shorter  duration  as  the  days  went  by. 

One  day  a  letter  came  from  Sweden  accompanying  a  new  translation 
of  "Man  as  a  Spiritual  Being,"  which  was  sent  to  Father.  The  letter 
contained  much  praise  of  the  good  work  he  had  done  in  the  world,  and 
said  that  it  would  doubtless  go  on  even  after  he  was  gone.  "  Yes,"  he 
said  when  this  was  read  to  him,  "but  I  am  nothing,  nothing.  It  is  all 
the  Lord's."  "But  surely,"  said  Mother,  "you  can  be  glad  the  Lord 
has  made  you  his  instrument  for  so  much  good."  "Yes,"  he  replied, 
"but  the  ugly  old  self  keeps  sticking  up  its  head  all  the  time." 

One  morning  he  said,  "  I  have  been  thinking  how  selfish  and  ungrate- 
ful I  am  for  all  my  blessings.  Here  the  Lord  permits  me  to  have  my 
dear  children  about  me:  everything  is  done  for  my  comfort:  if  I  were 
a  millionaire  I  could  not  be  better  cared  for.  Even  this  beautiful  sun- 
shine and  those  lovely  flowers"  —  looking  towards  a  sunbeam  that 
glorified  a  yellow  chrysanthemum  in  the  window  —  "are  the  Lord's 
gift  to  me;  and  what  am  1  that  I  should  long  for  something  better,  that 
I  should  feel  that  this  world  is  not  good  enough  for  me?  This  thought 
has  comforted  and  sustained  me,  and  I  am  rea<ly  now  to  go  or  slay  in 
the  Lord's  own  time,  as  He  wills." 

The  fourteenth  chapter  of  John  was  one  of  his  favorite  chapters. 
One  day  after  reading,  "  If  ye  love  me  keep  my  commandments,"  he 
said,  "That  is  what  it  all  resolves  itself  into,  keeping  the  command- 
ments." 

He  liked  the  shades  up  very  high  so  that  he  could  get  all  the  light 
and  sunshine  there  was.  One  evening  a  beautiful  star  shone  brightly 
in  tlie  sky  just  where  he  could  see  it  as  be  lay  in  bed.  He  said  to  Mr. 
Worcester,  who  was  in  the  room,  "  Does  n't  Swedenborg  say  somewhere 
thai  the  societies  of  the  higher  angels  appear  like  stars  to  those  in  the 
lower  heavens?"  Mr.  Worcester  replied  in  the  allirmative.  and  taking 
down  tl  e  book  which  contained  the  passage  wanted,  read  it  aloud. 
Father  then  spoke  of  the  myriads  and  myriads  of  stars  and  planets  in 
tliis  uiiivcr.-e  and  bow  the  latter  were  no  doubt  inhabited,  though  with 
men  of  a  different  genius  from  tliose  of  our  earth;  so  diflerent  that 
no  don'il  we  slionld  not  be  congenial.  "Still,"  he  said,  "I  supjiose 
that  all  tliose  wlio  are  nearest  the  Lord  are  also  nearest  each  other,  ami 
no  doubt  Uie  highest  angels  are  made  up  of  human  beings  from  every 

world." 

A  very  precious  experience  was  the  sacrament  of  the  Holy  Supper,  of 

-<■{  459  ^~ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

which  it  was  your  fatlier's  and  my  privilege  lo  partake  with  dear 
Grandpa  and  Grandma  in  his  sick  chamber. 

Grandma  sat  beside  his  bed,  holding  his  hand.  We  sat  on  the  sofa. 
There  was  a  beautiful  vase  of  white  cosmos  on  the  desk.  Mr.  Worcester 
administered  the  sacrament.  Dear  Father  was  too  feeble  to  drink  the 
wine.  Mr.  Worcester  gave  it  to  him  with  a  spoon.  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  his  radiant  expression  afterwards  and  heard  him  say,  "  I  am 
very  glad  to  have  partaken  with  you  once  more.  It  is  probably  for  tlie 
last  time  in  this  world.  Swedenborg  says  that  when  man  partakes 
wortliily  and  reverently  here,  there  is  stored  up  within  him  states  of 
sanctity  which  are  beyond  his  consciousness  and  may  never  be  opened 
in  this  world,  but  will  be  hereafter." 

Dear  children,  when  you  are  tempted  to  think  and  do  wrong,  I  hope 
you  will  think  of  your  grandfather's  wish  to  be  a  messenger  to  you. 

The  day  before  Grandpa  died,  useful  and  interested  in  church  work 
to  the  last,  he  talked  with  Dr.  J.  C.  Guernsey  about  the  "  Magnificat " 
and  advised  its  use  for  the  church  in  Philadelphia.  He  also  talked 
about  other  church  matters,  and  in  the  evening  enjoyed  very  much  hav- 
ing Miss  P sing  some  of  the  hymns  I  have  mentioned  to  you.     A 

telegram  of  greeting  came  from  the  Boston  Society,  which  was  cele- 
brating its  seventy-fifth  anniversary.  He  was  interested  and  asked  to 
have  a  reply  sent. 

About  midnight  the  change  came,  and  for  hours  his  poor  weak  body 
suffered  die  last  agonies  that  could  come  to  it.  A  short  time  before  his 
death,  Mr.  Worcester,  for  whom  he  had  sent,  read  to  him  the  chapter  in 
the  Revelation  which  describes  the  Holy  City.  He  was  very  quiet  after 
that  and  his  mind  seemed  wandering.  Once  he  asked  Grandma  if  she 
thought  he  could  sit  up  in  the  boat.     She  said,  "Yes,  I  think  you  can." 

When  he  was  suffering  he  would  put  out  his  arms  and  say,  "  0  Lord, 
come!     0  dear  Lord,  come!  " 

At  the  last  he  went  so  quietly  that  they  were  not  at  first  sure  he  had 
gone. 

You  have  all  eitlier  read  or  had  read  to  you  the  account  of  the 
funeral,  but  you  can  have  but  little  idea  of  the  solemn  beauty  of  the 
occasion. 

I  wish  you  could  see  dear  lonely  Grandma  — -  her  calm  way  of  going 
about  her  duties,  and  the  sweet  patience  with  which  she  tries  to  meet 
all  demands  upon  her. 

Once  when  some  one  said  to  her  how  glad  we  felt  that  we  still  had 
her,  she  broke  down  a  little  and  said,  "  When  the  cipher  has  the  figure 

-4.  460  ^'- 


PHILADELPHIA    PASTORATE,   1892-1893 

before  it,  it  is  of  some  value,  but  all  alone  it  is  not  good  for  much." 
Another  time  she  said,  "So  far  I  have  been  wonderfully  sustained;  it 
seems  as  if  your  dear  father  were  just  beside  me  all  the  lime." 

The  morning  after,  as  the  family  were  gatliered  together  in  the  study, 
some  one  look  from  a  shelf  a  small  volume  of  Giles's  sermons.  Upon 
opening  it  this  passage  which  was  read  aloud  from  "  Old  Age  in  This 
Life  and  in  the  Life  to  Come,"  came  with  the  force  of  a  personal  mes- 
sage from  dear  Father  himself. 

"Yesterday  they  were  here,  silting  by  our  side,  struggling  with  the 
growing  infirmities  of  age.  To-day  they  are  in  the  spiritual  world. 
Feebleness  has  given  place  to  strength;  they  feel  their  freedom;  they 
rejoice  in  it;  life  is  opening  before  them  with  a  fullness  and  glory  sur- 
passing their  brightest  dreams  while  in  this  world,  and  they  are  enter- 
ing upon  it  with  faculties  newly  awakend  as  if  from  sleep. 

"It  is  pleasant  to  think  that  tliey  were  once  with  us  here,  and  that 
now  they  are  there  and  here  too;  that  they  have  attained  their  deliver- 
ance. They  are  entering  consciously  into  all  the  states  of  love  and  wis- 
dom which  they  made  their  own  while  in  lliis  world,  and  which  lay 
witliin  them  like  the  germ  in  the  seed.  '  Blessed  are  the  dead  which 
die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth:  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors;  and  their  works  do  follow  them.'  " 


-^  461)8— 


CHAPTER   XX 

Comments  of  Contemporaries 

\.  o  depict  a  character  truly,  one  must  use  not  only  the  written  and 
spoken  words  of  that  character,  but  for  full  comprehension  there  must 
also  be  their  effect  on  others. 

The  love,  respect,  and  gratitude  which  Mr.  Giles  inspired  were  very 
fully  shown  in  the  letters,  resolutions,  and  tributes  of  esteem  sent  to 
my  mother  after  his  death. 

From  some  of  these,  extracts  have  been  taken;  they  are  not  always 
given  literally,  but  in  any  event  will  enable  the  reader,  who  has  hereto- 
fore stood  beside  Mr.  Giles  and  with  him  looked  out  upon  the  world, 
to  regard  Mr.  Giles  from  the  world's  standpoint.  Both  points  of  view 
are  necessary  in  order  to  form   a  just  estimate. 

From  a  Canadian  paper,  the  Star  in  the  East: 

His  sermons  and  lectures,  the  result  of  three  separate  pastorates,  have, 
as  extensively  published  and  circulated  in  tract  form,  awakened  a  wide- 
spread interest.  As  he  traveled  much,  five  times  going  abroad,  and  as 
his  presence  was  called  for  and  cheerfully  given  in  almost  every  centre 
of  New  Church  activity  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  he  became  person- 
ally identified  with  the  organizations  of  the  Church  in  many  different 
localities.  His  name  has  become  a  household  word  wherever  the 
Heavenly  Doctrines  are  received. 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  the  literary  productions  of  Mr.  Giles 
is  the  peaceful  spirit  that  pervades  them.  They  express  tlie  truth,  not 
in  an  aggressive  but  in  an  attractive  form.  The  large  circulation  of  his 
works  bears  testimony  to  the  demand  which  has  existed  for  them. 

Speaking  of  him  as  a  pastor,  one  who  knew  him  well,  says: 

He  did  not  seek  to  control  his  parishioners  by  merely  using  his  per- 
sonal influence,  but  always,  no  matter  what  the  question  was  .  .  .  the 
effort  would  be  made  to  learn  and  teach  the  spiritual  truth  or  principle 
applicable  to  the  case,  and  have  that  truth  given.     And  this  was  done 

-^  462  }?^~ 


COMMENTS   OF  CONTEMPORARIES 

so  fairly  and  patiently,  line  upon  line,  and  precept  upon  precept,  that 
strong  men  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  strength  of  character 
changed  the  opinions  and  prejudices  of  a  lifetime.  Two  men  espe- 
cially, who  had  for  years  been  opposed  to  the  Convention,  became  his 
closest  friends,  and  generously  sustained  him  in  all  he  did,  including 
union  witli  that  General  Convention,  in  its  turn  greatly  changed  and 
broadened  by  this  wise  forbearance.  He  had  strong  influence  with 
men,  but  he  never  used  his  power  to  compel  .  .  .  but  would  wait  until 
with  common  consent  and  with  good  heart  all  could  unite  in  the  pro- 
posed action. 

Some  of  the  notices  speak  of  the  simple,  unaffected  dignity  of  his 
manner  in  the  pulpit.  One  writer,  who  describes  him  as  of  medium 
height,  with  dark  eyes  and  domelike  forehead  and  shaggy  eyebrows, 
mentions  his  white  hair  and  beard  and  compares  him  to  a  veritable 
patriarch.  Another  mentions  the  beauty  of  his  voice,  of  clear,  resonant 
quality  and  distinct  enunciation.     A  friend  writes: 

When  in  the  latter  days  of  his  life  his  weakness  prevented  his  offici- 
ating in  the  pulpit,  his  voice,  as  he  joined  in  the  responses  witli  the  large 
congregation,  could  be  clearly  distinguished.  No  matter  how  large  the 
hall  or  church,  without  unduly  elevating  his  voice  he  seemed  to  fill  it 
to  its  remotest  comer.  .  .  .  But  rich  and  delightful  as  were  those  tones, 
what  shall  be  said  of  his  wonderful  choice  of  words  and  images,  and 
his  power  of  making  clear  the  most  profound  truths? 

Another  factor  of  his  strength  as  a  speaker  was  that  he  himself 
firmly  believed  what  he  was  saying.  He  spoke  from  an  innermost 
unshakable  conviction,  with  an  ardent  desire  to  bless  others  with  the 
principles  which,  after  he  had  formed  them,  brightened  his  whole  life. 

The  external  surroundings  in  which  he  spoke  affected  him  not  at  all. 
He  was  equally  at  home  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  reading  by  the  iiglit  of 
one  candle,  in  the  groves  about  Lake  George,  or  in  the  large  halls, 
theatres,  and  churches  of  various  cities  in  which  he  addressed  crowded 
audiences.  In  tiie  symposium  given  in  the  church  of  Dr.  James  Free- 
man Clarke  of  Boston,  when  representative  clergymen  of  all  denomina- 
tions spoke,  each  in  explanation  of  his  own  jieculiar  tenets,  the  influence 
of  Mr.  Giles's  discourse  was  very  remarkable.     His  subject  was  "The 

-•b{  463  }««••- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  a  new  Dispensation  of  Divine  Truth." 
He  spoke  more  than  an  hour,  but  his  large  audience  remained  until  the 
end,  listening  with  rapt  attention.  One  of  Boston's  leading  journals 
published  every  word  of  it  die  next  morning,  and  finding  an  unprece- 
dented demand  for  copies  of  it,  reprinted  it  in  their  semi-weekly  edition. 
Being  still  unable  to  fill  the  demand  they  reprinted  it  in  their  weekly 
edition.  Many  copies  of  this  discourse  have  been  distributed  in  Europe 
and  America,  and  it  has  been  translated  into  other  tongues. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Giles's  death  a  society  meeting  was  held  in  order 
to  take  action  regarding  die  pastorate. 

At  the  request  of  the  chairman.  Rev.  Wm.  L.  Worcester  spoke  briefly 
of  Mr.  Giles's  last  illness.  Much  diat  he  said  has  already  been  men- 
tioned elsewhere,  but  as  it  is  a  beautiful  tribute  from  one  who  knew 
and  loved  him  well,  I  would  like  to  mention  one  or  two  points.  The 
whole  account  is  from  the  New  Church  Messenger. 

His  mind  was  very  much  alive  to  all  things  concerning  the  Church, 
even  to  the  last  days.  And  even  in  little  questions  of  difficulty  which 
arose,  by  choosing  a  favorable  moment  I  could  consult  him  about 
them,  and  he  liked  to  advise  and  help.  I  do  not  think  we  realize  how 
largely  we  have  leaned  upon  him  through  the  year,  when  we  have  seen 
him  so  little.  The  thing  I  wanted  most  to  speak  of  was  the  wonderfully 
beautiful  spirit  that  we  have  seen  in  Mr.  Giles,  growing  more  and  more 
perfect  day  by  day.  It  has  seemed  to  draw  us  very  near  to  the  gates  of 
the  other  world,  and  during  this  last  week  I  have  felt  more  plainly  than 
ever  how  this  life  goes  right  on  into  the  other  world ;  it  is  not  this  life 
ended  and  another  begun,  but  the  same  life  going  right  on,  and  Mr. 
Giles's  uses  have  been  such  heavenly  uses  that  we  have  no  difficulty  in 
thinking  of  them  as  taken  up  immediately  and  with  great  delight. 

At  this  meeting  by  a  unanimous  vote  Mr.  Worcester  was  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  society.  In  his  response,  in  which  he  gratefully  ac- 
cepted the  position,  Mr.  Worcester  spoke  of  how  much  Mr.  Giles  had 
hoped  that  such  action  would  be  taken. 

A  friend  in  Cincinnati  writes: 

No  man  whom  I  ever  knew  had  such  power  of  applying  the  truths 
that  he  taught  to  the  familiar  comparison  with  every-day  life.  No  man 
knew  as  he  did  how  to  reach  the  hearts  of  men  and  impress  them  with 

-^  464  ^"- 


COMMENTS   OF   CONTEMPORARIES 

both  the  reality  of  the  other  life  and  the  way  to  attain  its  choicest  bless- 
ings. It  was  a  wontlerfiil  gift,  and  those  who  were  in  the  habit  of  hear- 
ing him  knew  what  it  meant. 

From  Rev.  Adolf  Roeder  comes  the  following,  dated  March  18, 
1919: 

These  points  of  contact  with  your  father's  life  seem  wortliy  of  record. 
There  are  two  of  them  wliich  I  feel  can  be  regarded  as  points  touching 
life,  and  four  as  touching  the  teaching  of  the  doctrines. 

The  first  is  his  wonderful  skill  in  popularizing  the  philosophy  and 
theology  of  Swedenborg,  and  selecting  the  vital  truths  and  shaping 
them  for  application  to  life. 

The  second  is  his  advice  to  me  at  my  ordination,  when  he  told  me  to 
go  out  and  preach  life;  "The  Church,"  he  added,  '"has  already  suffi- 
cient doctrine." 

The  four  doctrinal  jioints  can  bo  divided  into  dirce  of  an  intellectual, 
and  one  of  a  practical  nature,  although  all  four  of  them  are  really  in- 
tensely practical. 

First.  That  Heaven  is  in  the  human  form,  and  that  tlie  thought  of 
"form"  must  be  differentiated  from  tlie  idea  of  "shape,"  which  is  an 
important  distinction. 

Second.  That  hell  is  not  a  prison,  hut  a  hospital,  which  is  a  vitally 
helpful  thought. 

Third.  That  spiritual  giving  differs  from  natural  giving,  in  that  if 
one  gives  a  friend  a  book,  the  giver  has  one  less  book,  but  if  he  gives 
comfort,  advice,  or  sympathy,  his  stoik  of  these  spiritual  values  is  in- 
creased and  strengthened  by  the  manner  of  their  reception. 

And  finally,  I  once  heard  Mr.  Giles  talk  to  a  Philadelphia  group  of 
auditors  about  giving  to  the  Lord.  "I  do  not  like  the  expression  Mo 
give  to  the  Lord.'  It  sounds  to  me  as  though  we  said  tlial  we  'gave  the 
giver  the  amount  of  his  bill,'  instead  of  paying  what  is  legitimately 
his  due.  We  do  not  give  to  the  Lord,  we  pay  Him  His  due;  we  meet 
our  obligations  to  Him,  for  all  the  wonderful  tilings  He  does  for  us." 

I  hope  these  mav  prove  useful  to  you  in  your  work,  in  which  I  wish 
you  most  heartily  "God  speed." 

-^  465  )a— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

This  is  selected  from  tlie  many  newspaper  notices: 

In  tlie  death  of  the  Rev.  Chauncey  Giles  the  followers  of  the  doc- 
trines of  Emmanuel  Swedenborg  in  this  country  have  lost  a  prop  and 
pillar  of  their  faith.  No  American  has  done  more  than  Dr.  Giles  to 
interpret  to  his  countrymen  the  teachings  of  the  great  Swede.  The 
greater  part  of  his  active  life  was  employed  in  this  work,  which  he  pur- 
sued with  untiring  and  unselfish  zeal.  He  was  a  pulpiteer  whose  dis- 
courses were  models  of  logical  statement,  and  at  tlie  same  time  filled 
with  spiritual  beauty,  and  the  great  mass  of  writings  in  which  he  propa- 
gated the  Swedenborgian  faith  through  tracts,  pamphlets,  and  books, 
was  characterized  by  a  high  order  of  intellectual  power.  His  life  work 
was  largely  a  struggle  for  recognition  of  tlie  tenets  which  he  taught, 
and  his  followers  were  few  compared  with  the  religious  sects  around 
him;  but  here,  as  well  as  in  other  communities,  his  influence  resulted  in 
an  advance  of  the  Swedenborgian  doctrine  and  in  a  study  of  it  by  many 
intelligent  thinkers.  Dr.  Giles  was  a  modest,  unobtrusive,  and  useful 
clergyman,  and  his  fine  mental  gifts  would  have  made  him  far  more 
conspicuous  tlian  he  was,  before  the  world,  had  he  been  engaged  in 
other  labors  than  those  of  the  pioneer  of  a  new  faith  who  served  only 
the  cause  of  what  he  conceived  to  be  pure  truth. 

From  the  Biographical  Sketch  given  in  the  New  Church  Messenger 
these  extracts  are  taken: 

In  the  removal  of  Mr.  Giles  we  have  taken  from  us  the  most  widely 
known  man  of  the  New  Church.  He  was  beyond  all  comparison  the 
leader  in  the  work  of  New  Church  propagandism,  and  has  doubtless 
said,  published,  and  done  more  for  making  known  to  the  world  the 
doctrines  of  the  New  Church  than  any  other  man  in  its  history.  By  his 
removal  one  of  the  strong  men  of  our  household  is  taken  from  us. 

After  giving  details  of  his  life  already  known  to  our  readers,  the 
first  trip  abroad  is  mentioned,  with  tlie  remark  that  "His  reception  by 
the  English  New  Church  was  an  ovation." 

Mr.  Giles  was  particularly  successful  in  inaugurating  enterprises 
for  carrying  on  New  Church  work  and  in  calling  forth  the  cooperative 

-^  466  ^- 


COMMENTS   OF   CONTEMPORARIES 

labors  and  the  material  contributions  of  his  contemporaries.  This  was 
most  strikingly  manifested  in  the  great  work  he  accomplished  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  under  his  ministration  the  society  increased  in  numbers 
and  erected  a  large  church,  with  book  rooms  connected  with  it,  and 
widely  extended  the  work  of  the  Tract  Society. 

Mr.  Giles  had  a  remarkably  clear  conception  of  the  New  Church  doc- 
trines. Certain  truths,  particularly  those  which  present  the  New  Church 
as  a  new  dispensation  of  Divine  truth,  and  its  doctrines  as  constituting 
a  spiritual  science,  and  as  being  expressed  through  the  laws  of  corre- 
spondence in  natural  Uiings,  were  so  wrought  into  his  intelligence  that 
he  could  think  only  in  their  light,  and  he  could  write  forever  from  the 
inspiration  of  their  life.  He  possessed  through  this  perception  a  re- 
markable facility  of  illustration,  and  tlience  an  efficient  ability  in  pre- 
senting the  doctrines  of  the  Church  to  those  not  familiar  with  them. 

Wliile  Mr.  Giles  was  a  man  of  great  enterprises,  he  was  not  given  to 
details  of  work.  He  was  non-ccclcsiaslical  in  the  form  of  his  tliought 
and  disposition  and  was  never  the  priest.  He  was  not  given  to  form. 
Petty  rules  and  restrictions  had  little  weight  in  his  thought.  His  one 
central  mission,  to  give  to  the  world  a  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  so  held  possession  of  him  that  all  other  things  were  dwarfed 
in  its  presence. 

Of  Mr.  Giles  more  than  of  most  of  our  number  who  are  taken  from  us 
we  may  say  that  he  has  finished  a  great  and  a  distinct  work  for  the 
Church.  He  had  a  mission  to  accomplish,  and  he  has  done  it.  He 
had  a  word  to  say  to  the  world,  and  he  said  it. 

A  friend  has  recently  sent  this  grateful  expression  of  help  received 
from  Mr.  Giles: 

So  often  your  father,  wlien  things  have  seemed  to  grow  complex  and 
baffling,  has  come  forward  with  some  clear  and  simj>le  word  that  has 
made  the  whole  situation  so  possible,  so  lucid,  that  one  takes  heart 
again,  and  finds  himself  able  to  go  on  with  a  truer  vision  of  life  and  its 
duties  and  i)rivilegfs.  It  was  a  great  and  wonderful  gift  that  he  pos- 
sessed anil  used  for  the  benefit  of  more  of  us  than  can  ever  be  ntkoned. 

--^  467  \^- 


B, 


CHAPTER   XXI 

Contributions  to  New  Church  Literature 


*OOKS  and  sermons  have  their  use.  They  are  incidents  in  tlie  life 
of  the  spirit.  Sometimes  they  are  milestones  which  not  only  show  how 
far  we  have  traveled,  but  they  are  also  an  inn  in  which  we  may  tarry 
and  get  rest  and  food  for  the  night  and  strength  for  another  day's 
advance. 

Thus  writes  Mr.  Giles  in  his  diary.  It  is  the  remark  of  a  lover  of 
books  who  reads  not  merely  for  pleasure  but  for  intellectual  and  spir- 
itual progress.  When  writing  for  others  he  had  the  same  ends  in  view. 
In  his  opinion  no  perfection  of  literary  art  was  too  good  for  the  attain- 
ment of  this  purpose. 

Such  was  his  ideal.    He  writes: 

If  I  had  the  time  I  should  like  to  make  each  sermon  a  gem  of  liter- 
ary expression. 

The  multiplicity  of  his  other  duties  prevented  such  extreme  care  with 
the  mere  workmanship  of  his  writing.  Instead  his  mind  was  con- 
centrated upon  the  plainest  possible  expression  of  the  truth  he  wished 
to  convey  and  upon  its  reception  and  application  to  life  by  his  hearers 
and  readers. 

Many  times  in  his  diary  Mr.  Giles  remarks  that  he  could  not  from 
the  beginning  plan  a  lecture  or  sermon  as  a  whole.  The  central  thought 
ramified  as  he  wrote.  This  did  not  prevent  his  blocking  out  beforehand 
a  skeleton  of  his  subject;  in  fact,  he  always  did,  and  very  interesting 
those  skeletons  are. 

His  concentration  upon  the  subject  in  mind  was  intense,  and  yet  it 
was  remarkable  how  well  he  bore  the  more  or  less  trivial  interruptions 
incident  to  his  profession. 

Mr.  Giles's  writings  are  permeated  with  a  warm,  loving  sympathy 
for  the  sorrows  and  failings  of  mankind.  He  rarely  censures,  and  while 
he  strongly  maintained  his  own  convictions  he  has  no  word  of  condem- 
nation for  those  who  differ  from  him. 

-«^  468  }if- 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO   NEW   CHURCH   LITERATURE 

"Man  as  a  Spiritual  Being"  is  the  most  widely  known  of  Mr.  Giles's 
writings.  The  substance  was  first  given  in  a  series  of  lectures  delivered 
in  the  New  York  church  to  crowded  houses  in  the  years  1861-1865. 
Each  lecture  was  printed  immediately  after  delivery  and  five  hundred 
copies  were  distributed  weekly. 

This  book,  first  puljlislied  in  1868,  has  passed  through  many  edi- 
tions. Over  one  hundred  thousand  copies  have  been  printed  and  it 
is  still  in  active  circulation.  It  has  been  translated  into  many  foreign 
languages. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  anecdotes  that  has  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge relates  to  the  effect  of  "Man  as  a  Spiritual  Being"  upon  a  man 
who  had  for  years  been  leading  a  life  of  sin.  He  drank  to  excess,  and 
as  the  friend  who  told  me  the  story  says:  "He  was  in  every  political 
rascality  that  went  on  in  our  city."  This  friend  had  interested  himself 
to  help  the  poor  man,  and  after,  through  his  influence,  really  effecting 
a  change  in  his  habits,  gave  him  "  Man  as  a  Spirit"  to  read.  While  he 
was  reading  the  book  a  companion  in  corruption  came  to  see  him.  in- 
tending to  return  on  the  midnight  train.     Mr.  C ,  we  will  call  him, 

said,  "  I  won't  talk  one  single  word  about  business  until  I  have  read 
something  to  you  out  of  a  book."  I  think  you  can  imagine  how  the 
man  would  accept  that.     He  expressed  himself  verj'  forcibly.     Perhaps 

it  would  look  better  not  to  write  tlie  language  used.     But  Mr.  C 

persisted  and  the  man  said,  "  What 's  the  use,  C ,  of  talking  to 

me  about  these  things  now?  Haven't  we  read  Tom  Paine,  Rousseau, 
Voltaire,  and  everytliing  going?  How  can  you  possibly  give  me  any- 
thing new?  "    To  which  Mr.  C answered:  "  I  know  what  you  and 

I  have  read,  but  I  tell  you,  this  is  something  different.'^  With  that  he 
commenced  reading  aloud,  but  llie  man  was  very  indignant  and  refused 

to  pay  any  attention.    This  didn't  disconcert  Mr.  C .     He  kept  on 

reading,  and  finally  the  man  stopped  him  and  said,  "  Hold  on  a  minute! 
Read  that  over  again,  wil'  you?"  They  read  until  tliree  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

Afterwards  Mr.  C told  me  the  reason  he  liked  the  book.     "That 

book  begins  right  down  just  wlien-  you  are.  You  can  staml  ahmgside 
Mr.  Giles;  understand  exactly  all  that  lie  is  saying.  Then  little  by  little 
you  begin  going  up  and  up  and  finally  you  are  away  up  voiulcr:  but 
you  can  follow  him  and  you  can  undi-rsland  him  even  when  lie  gets 
away  up  there." 

It  was  a  j)rincii)le  often  expressed  by  Mr.  Giles.  —  "that  llie  Lord 
always  meets  man  where  he  is."     Surely  tiiis  anecdote  illu>lrales  that 

--•{  469  ^- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

Mr.  Giles  in  a  humble,  finite  way  sought  to  imitate  his  Lord  and  Master. 

When  Mr.  C died  he  left  money  to  the  church.     His  widow,  not  a 

New  Churchwoman,  remarked  that  she  was  glad  that  her  husband  made 
the  bequest  because  of  the  reform  effected  in  his  life  by  New  Church 
teachings. 

To  many  minds  the  use  of  prayer  is  a  mystery.  Since  God  is  a  Being 
of  Infinite  Love  and  Wisdom  He  must  know  what  is  best  for  us;  a  Being 
of  immutable  law,  we  cannot  change  results  by  our  petitions  —  why, 
then,  pray? 

"  Perfect  Prayer "  begins  by  stating  the  true  nature  of  man's  rela- 
tion to  the  Lord,  i.  e.,  that  of  the  recipient  to  the  Giver  of  Life.  The 
Lord  in  His  love  is  ardently  wishing  to  bestow  upon  us  every  good, — 
good  which  because  of  imiversal  laws  we  may  not  receive  without  a 
radical  change  in  ourselves.    As  the  author  says: 

In  all  genuine  prayer  there  is  behind  the  special  request  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  our  dependence  upon  the  Lord  for  the  power  to  receive  as 
well  as  to  ask,  and  a  surrender  of  the  inmost  causes  of  thought  and 
affections  to  His  guidance.  However  desirable  the  special  blessing  we 
seek  may  seem  to  us,  the  condition,  "  Not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt,"  is 
always  implied.  Sincere,  genuine  prayer  tends  to  bring  us  into  such 
relations  to  the  Lord  that  we  can  receive  what  He  gives  us  the  power 
to  ask. 

Suppose  we  honestly  pray  that  our  sins  may  be  forgiven  and  that  we 
may  again  be  admitted  to  heaven.  We  may  think  only  of  die  penalty 
and  believe  that  the  Lord  can  forgive  sin  as  a  magistrate  can  pardon 
a  criminal,  and  that  we  can  be  admitted  into  heaven  by  personal  favor, 
as  we  might  be  to  a  feast.  The  Lord  begins  to  answer  our  prayer.  He 
suffers  us  to  be  tried  and  tempted  that  we  may  see  our  evils  and  put 
them  away.  Afflictions  come  upon  us;  the  love  of  the  world  and  self  is 
assaulted,  and  instead  of  the  rest  and  peace  of  heaven,  we  come  into 
infernal  torment.  Why  is  this?  Has  the  Lord  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  our 
prayer?  If  in  our  agony  we  should  cry  to  the  Lord,  "  0  Lord,  hear 
me,  answer  me,  save  me!  "  His  reply  could  truly  be:  "I  do  hear  you, 
I  am  answering  you,  I  am  saving  you."  So  the  Lord  leads  us  in  a  way 
we  know  not  and  could  not  have  chosen,  to  the  end  we  seek.  He  answers 
our  prayer  while  He  seems  to  reject  it. 

-4  470  ^•- 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO   NEW  CHURCH   LITERATURE 

There  are  chapters  on  "  Efficacious  Prayer,"  "  H>TJocritical  and  Vain 
Prayer,"  followed  by  an  exposition  of  the  "  Perfect  Prayer,  the  Lord's 
Prayer." 

No  subject  is  of  greater  importance  to  every  one  than  his  attitude 
towards  the  marriage  relation.  In  the  "Sanctity  of  Marriage"  the 
author  shows  tlie  holy  principles  upon  which  a  true  marriage  is  based 
and  how  they  must  be  applied.    He  says: 

The  true  effort  to  prepare  for  marriage  leads  to  the  shunning  of 
every  evil  that  would  taint  the  purity  of  marriage,  and  every  error  that 
would  tend  to  disturb  its  harmony.  The  young  man  and  the  young 
woman  will  say,  "  If  I  am  tlie  measure  of  what  I  desire  in  husband  or 
wife,  I  must  raise  the  standard  of  excellence  as  high  as  possible.  If 
I  desire  an  unselfish  companion  through  the  eternal  years,  I  must  my- 
self be  unselfish.  I  must  be  pure  if  I  would  be  linked  to  purity.  I  must 
be  kind  if  I  am  to  expect  kindness,  truthful  if  I  am  to  wed  the  truth, 
faithful  to  every  trust  if  I  desire  fidelity  in  my  other  self.  I  must  shun 
in  myself  every  imperfection  tlial  could  lessen  my  respect  for  husband 
or  wife  and  tend  to  separation." 

The  centrally  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  New  Church,  that  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  God  of  Heaven  and  earth,  is  presented 
in  the  lectures  on  the  "  Incarnation  and  Atonement."  The  Hon.  John 
Bigelow  thought  the  contrast  between  the  prevalent  idea  of  the  atone- 
ment and  the  new,  particularly  well  done.  Mr.  Bigelow  wrote  in  great 
detail  a  review  of  "  Wliy  I  am  a  New  Churchman." 

"Heavenly  Blessedness"  is  an  exposition  of  the  Sermon  on  tlie 
Mount.  It  was  written  in  Cincinnati  but  published  many  years  later, 
about  1872,  in  England. 

"Human  Stewardsliip "'  treats  of  man's  absolute  dependence  upon 
the  Lord  for  everything.  It  is  said  that  the  ideas  advanced  in  this 
treatise  were  largely  instrumental  in  the  successful  atcomplishmcnt  of 
building  the  new  and  bcautilul  cliunli  in  Pliila(lflj)liia.  I'lic  statement 
is  plainly  made  that: 

There  is  only  one  Owner  in  His  own  right,  and  lliat  is  tlie  Lord.  Man 
has  never  liked  this  truth.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  his  love  of  self  to  know 
and  acknowledge  that  we  are  nothing  and  have  nothing  of  any  value 
which  He  did  not  give  us,  and  that  however  much  we  may  glor>'  in  die 

— i(171)=— 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY  GILES 

wealth  or  power  or  knowledge  we  possess,  we  have  no  absolute  owner- 
ship in  a  particle  of  it.    But  whether  we  like  it  or  not,  such  is  the  fact. 

It  is  perhaps  not  best  to  take  up  witli  comments  each  book  in  turn,  but 
something  should  be  said  of  Mr.  Giles's  books  for  children. 

His  juveniles  were  chiefly  for  Christmas  or  Easter,  but  some  of  the 
stories  were  written  for  the  Children's  Magazine.  A  few  of  them  em- 
body some  of  his  own  boyhood's  experiences,  but  the  greater  part  are 
constructed  aroimd  some  truth  or  law  of  the  spirit  as  it  relates  to  re- 
generate life,  a  truth  which  is  developed  by  illustration  and  incident 
as  naturally  and  easily  as  a  flower  unfolds.  There  is  little  plot,  but 
the  children  are  live  youngsters  who  talk  and  act  like  real  folks,  and 
the  child's  point  of  view  is  always  sympathetically,  sometimes  humor- 
ously, considered. 

Who  that  has  read  the  story  when  a  child  or  listened  to  it  from  my 
father's  voice  can  forget  the  disappointment  of  Charles  when  the  money 
from  his  "  Wonderful  Pocket "  was  not  forthcoming  for  selfish  purposes 
or  his  delight  after  thinking  its  magical  contents  irretrievably  lost  to 
find  it  radiantly  shining  when  he  wished  to  use  it  for  others? 

How  the  majestic  "  Angels'  Christmas  Tree  "  rises  before  one,  with 
the  sadly  indifferent  children  reluctantly  receiving  only  the  poorest  of 
the  rich  treasures  proff^ered  them  by  tlieir  heavenly  visitors! 

What  child  who  has  heard  "  Metempsychosis  "  has  not  reflected  on 
the  character  of  his  own  possible  transformation? 

With  what  sympathy  and  amusement  one  has  watched  the  "  Magic 
Shoes "  lead  Thomas  Stubbs  from  his  waywardness  into  a  state  of 
obedience. 

How  beautiful  the  Pearl  Angel!  How  fraught  with  heavenly  truth 
Lillie's  journey  to  the  "Gate  of  Pearl"!  And  what  a  surprise  awaits 
one  in  the  last  chapter! 

How  naturally  and  easily  the  Story  Children,  after  testing  the  bene- 
ficial qualities  of  the  "  Magic  Spectacles  "  in  their  lessons,  are  led  to 
use  them  in  the  detection  and  putting  away  of  their  evils! 

One  other  little  story,  published  since  Mr.  Giles's  death,  must  be 
mentioned,  —  "  Papilio:  the  Story  of  a  Butterfly."  This  is  a  tale  which 
by  means  of  a  lively  and  somewhat  dramatic  dialogue  between  a  butter- 
fly and  the  author  clearly  teaches  by  analogy  man's  immortality.  It 
was  used  for  distribution  among  the  soldiers  during  the  late  war. 
It  is  particularly  appropriate  for  Easter. 

My  father  loved  little  children  and  they  felt  the  winning  warmth  of 

-4  472  ^'- 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO    NEW   CHURCH   LITERATURE 

his  affection.  No  little  one  was  too  shy  to  withstand  the  appeal  of  his 
smile.  Wlien,  as  at  Poultney.  the  many  children  in  the  house  saw  him 
coming  down  tlie  avenue,  "Mr.  Giles,  Mr.  Giles,"  they  would  cry,  and 
soon  little  feet  were  running  towards  him  and  little  hands  were  tugging 
at  his  hands  or  clasped  around  his  legs  as  he  walked.  One  time  when 
he  was  revisiting  Cincinnati  a  pretty  incident  occurred  which  might  he 
told  here.  Mr.  Giles  had  heen  out  of  town  to  visit  some  friends  and 
they  had  presented  him  willi  some  heauliful  flowers.  Returning  to  the 
city  he  was  passing  througli  Longworth  Street,  hy  his  old  home,  on  his 
way  to  dine  with  other  friends.  Presently,  as  he  walked,  the  children 
in  the  street  gathered  al)out  him  with  shrill  cries  of  "Give  me  a  flower. 
Mister.  Please  give  me  a  flower."  Mr.  Giles  stopped  with  the  flowers 
in  his  hand,  looked  kindly  upon  the  little  group  of  upturned  faces  and 
said:  "Children,  I  will  tell  you  ahout  these  flowers,  and  then  if  you 
think  I  ought  to  give  you  some,  I  will.  They  came  from  the  ganlen  of 
a  very  dear  friend  who  has  gone  to  the  spiritual  world,  and  his  daughter 
has  given  them  to  me  hecause  I  loved  him  very  much.  Now,  do  you 
think  I  ought  to  give  them  away?"  Oh,  no.  Mister;  no,  indeed,"  said 
they.  "  I  cannot  give  you  the  flowers,  but  I  can  tell  you  something  of 
the  place  to  which  my  friend  has  gone."  .\nd  then  in  his  clear,  simple 
way  he  told  these  little  urchins  something  of  the  beauties  of  heaven 
and  passed  on.  Presently  he  heard  the  palter  of  little  feet  behind  him, 
and  he  thought  perhaps  the  children  were  going  to  beg  a  flower  after 
all.  But  no,  they  approached  shyly  and  said,  "Thank  you  for  your 
nice  story,  Mister." 

This  must  be  a  chapter  of  last  words  which  have  not  found  their  aji- 
propriate  niche  in  the  earlier  pages.  Once  when  my  father  was  in 
company  some  one  said,  "  Mr.  Giles,  you  must  have  had  many  remark- 
able experiences;  what  do  you  consider  the  most  unusual  one?"  My 
father  thought  a  moment  and  then  said: 

One  time  when  I  was  preaching  in  London,  after  tlie  service  a  man 
came  to  me  and  said:  "Sg  you  are  Chauncey  Giles!  I  am  very  glad 
to  meet  you.  You  do  not  know  it,  but  there  was  a  time  when  I  did  not 
believe  in  any  God,  but  you  com  inced  me.  I  was  climbing  the  Andes 
with  a  friend  and  the  talk  fell  on  religious  subjects.  I  expressed  my 
utter  disbelief.  My  friend  took  from  his  pock<'t  a  tract  by  Chauncey 
Giles.  This  I  read  and  it  removed  my  unbelirf.  I  did  mil  know  who 
the  writer  was  or  what  religious  ih-nominalion  he  represcnlc-il,  but  that 

— ){  473  ^ 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

little  tract  changed  my  whole  outlook  on  life.  To-day  I  was  passing 
by  this  church  and  I  saw  on  the  bulletin  board  that  Chauncey  Giles  was 
to  preach.    So  I  came  to  see  the  man  to  whom  I  owe  so  much." 

Mr.  Giles  was  an  industrious  writer.  Besides  the  books  I  have 
mentioned  there  was  the  "  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord,"  the  "  Forgive- 
ness of  Sin,"  and  '"  The  Valley  of  Diamonds."  Added  to  these  publi- 
cations must  be  the  sermons  and  lectures  printed  separately,  some  tliree 
hundred  in  number,  and  tlie  Editorials  for  the  Messenger,  and  stories 
for  die  Children's  Magazine,  which  have  not  been  gathered  into  a  book. 

His  correspondence  was  very  large,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
that  he  wrote  thousands  of  letters,  not  to  mention  the  diarj'  kept  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life. 

To  Rev.  William  Worcester  my  father  left  tlie  charge  of  his  manu- 
scripts, consisting  of  about  five  hundred  and  eighty  unpublished  sermons. 
From  these  are  selected  the  discourses  on  "  Progress  in  Spiritual  Knowl- 
edge." This  memorial  volume  was  published  in  1895.  It  contains  an 
excellent  biographical  sketch  written  by  Mr.  Worcester. 

Under  the  same  auspices  have  been  published  the  two  little  books  on 
"Learning  to  Live"  and  "The  Human  Soul." 

Perhaps  no  subject  which  is  commonly  taught  in  our  universities  has 
a  more  disintegrating  effect  on  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Lord  as  our 
Creator  and  Redeemer  than  the  doctrine  of  "Evolution"  as  advanced  by 
modern  scientists.  It  is  the  mission  of  Mr.  Giles's  book  on  the  subject 
to  show  the  order  of  creation  as  presented  in  Swedenborg's  "  Divine 
Love  and  Wisdom." 

After  its  publication  Mr.  Giles  received  the  following  letter  from 
President  Mark  Hopkins  of  Williams  College. 

May  13,  1887. 

It  is  seldom  in  these  days  that  I  read  a  book  dirough,  but  I  have  read 
yours,  with  pleasure  and  profit.  I  don't  see  how  your  view  could  be 
better  presented.  You  draw  the  distinction  clearly  between  theistic 
and  adieistic  evolution  and  your  whole  scheme  is  logical  and  consistent. 
Whedier  your  whole  view  shall  be  accepted  or  not,  your  book  is  a  very 
valuable  addition  to  die  literature  on  this  subject. 

It  is  some  years  since  I  have  read  die  writings  of  Swedenborg,  and 
I  didn't  remember  that  he  supposes,  as  I  infer  from  your  book  that  he 

-^  474  ^'- 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO    NEW   CHURCH    LITERATURE 

does,  that  God  is  in  the  form  of  a  man.     To  me  that  is  a  stumbling 
block,  but  detracts  nothing  from  your  theory'  of  evolution. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  little  book  on  "Our  Children  in  the  Other 
Life"  Mr.  Giles  writes,  "Bereaved  and  sorrowing  motlier,  this  is  for 
you!"  And  then  he  tenderly  and  clearly  gives  her  the  comforting 
truths  of  the  New  Church  upon  the  subject. 

A  friend  told  me  that  after  the  death  of  her  baby  she  returned  home 
from  a  walk  one  day  and  found  a  copy  of  "Our  Children  in  the  Other 
Life  "  on  her  bureau.  WiUiout  removing  her  outdoor  things  she  stood 
and  read  the  little  book  to  its  close,  and  added,  "  It  has  been  of  inex- 
pressible comfort  to  me." 

One  day  my  father  was  at  the  New  Church  book  rooms  at  Cooper 
Union.  A  distinguished  physician  of  the  city  came  in  and  at  once 
greeted  Mr.  Giles  with  the  remark,  "  You  are  a  much  better  doctor  dian 
I."  Naturally  this  statement  caused  some  surprise,  and  he  then  ex- 
plained that  he  had  amongst  his  patients  a  poor  mother  who  was  griev- 
ing herself  to  death  over  the  loss  of  her  baby.  The  little  book  so 
changed  her  attitude  towards  life  that  she  was  again  able  to  resume  lu-r 
daily  duties  and  even  to  think  with  cheerfulness  of  her  little  one. 

The  history  of  "Consolation"  is  very  touching.  The  possibility  of 
writing  it  was  first  suggested  to  Mr.  Giles  when  he  knew  that  his 
own  tenure  of  this  life  was  very  frail,  and  that  the  summons  might 
come  at  any  time.  In  reading  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  poet  Whittier 
he  was  much  impressed  with  tlie  amount  of  literary  work  accomplished 
by  him  in  the  stronger  intervals  of  feeble  health. 

Inspired  by  this  example,  he  too,  in  the  hours  when  he  felt  equal  to 
any  exertion,  wrote  the  little  book  "Consolation."  It  seemed  to  him 
"a  thing  of  shreds  and  patches,"  but  no  author  is  the  best  judge  of  his 
own  literary  work.  In  the  chapter  on  "Love  and  Loyalty"  there  is  a 
sympadiv  which  very  clearly  recognizes  the  dilTerent  phases  of  feeling 
through  which  a  mourner  passes. 

In  other  parts  of  the  book  the  necessity  of  giving  out  to  others  in 
helpful  words  and  deeds  is  very  strongly  maintaiiiod.  For  the  latter 
reason  friends  of  the  Unitarian  Church  who  have  met  with  bereavement 
have  gaiiifd  mtich  comfort  from  the  jierusal  of  the  little  volume.  It 
meets  them  in  the  strongest  tenet  of  their  religion,  doing  good  to  others. 

Mr.  David  L.  Webster  was  one  of  the  prominent  New  Churchmen 
of  the  Boston  Society.  He  was  very  intelligent  in  our  doctrines  and  a 
most  lovable  character.     W  itii  a  fleeting  glance  one  was  nuich  impressed 

--.bI  475  )3— 


THE   LIFE   OF   CHAUNCEY   GILES 

by  his  strong  resemblance  to  Mr.  Giles.  The  resemblance  faded  on 
closer  observation,  but  sometimes  amusing  mistakes  were  made.  His 
wife  always  maintained  tliat  there  was  not  the  slightest  likeness  between 
the  two  men.  But  one  time  as  she  and  Mr.  Webster  were  coming  into 
the  lobby  of  Pike's  Opera  House — -the  walls  of  which  were  lined  with 
mirrors  —  she  suddenly  seized  her  husband's  arm  and  said,  "Look, 
look,  there  is  Mr.  Giles."  Imagine  her  chagrin  when  she  saw  that  it 
was  only  her  husband's  reflection  in  the  mirror.  At  another  time  my 
sister,  who  was  in  haste  to  consult  my  fadier  about  something,  saw  Mr. 
Webster  coming  in  at  the  church  door  and  went  toward  him  with  the 
greeting,  "  Father."  Mr.  Webster  himself  said  he  was  often  compli- 
mented on  his  good  sermons.  This  letter  to  Mr.  Giles  from  him  was 
written  in  his  old  age,  when  he  was  nearly  blind.  The  handwriting  is 
very  large  and  a  black  pencil  is  used. 

To  Mr.  Giles  from  Mr.  D.  L.  Webster 

Boston,  July  18,  1893. 

I  have  had  your  "  Consolation "  read  to  me  and  I  am  exceedingly 
grateful  to  you  for  writing  it.  It  must  be  of  very  great  use  to  many 
people,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  a  constant  consolation  to  yourself 
to  see  the  subject  develop  before  your  eyes  as  you  thought  and  wrote 
upon  it. 

While  listening  to  the  reading  it  was  a  source  of  continual  surprise 
to  see  how  exhaustively  point  after  point  of  the  subject  was  brought  up 
and  how  satisfactorily  each  was  disposed  of. 

I  cannot  but  think  that  the  final  result  must  have  been  as  much  a 
surprise  to  you  as  it  was  to  me. 

I  deeply  sympatliize  with  Mrs.  Giles  and  yourself  in  your  illness, 
and  have  no  doubt  bodi  will  receive  all  the  consolation  which  a  loving 
Providence  can  furnish  under  the  circumstances. 

P.S.  to  Mr.  Giles.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  received 
by  me  to-day  from  a  lady  whose  son  died  about  three  weeks  since  in 
the  hotel  where  my  niece  and  myself  were  then  staying: 

"  I  am  indeed  deeply  bereaved,  for  I  can  neither  pray  nor  read;  even 
the  pleasure  of  looking  at  my  son's  photograph  is  taken  from  me.  In 
looking  at  it,  it  seems  strange.     I  have  forgotten  how  my  darling  one 

-4.  476  ^'- 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO    NEW   CHURCH   LITERATURE 

looked.     Is  it  not  pitiable?     I  want  your  prayers  and  Miss 's  that 

God  will  heal  my  broken  heart." 

I  sent  her  a  copy  of  your  "  Consolation." 

A  lecture  on  "  Mountains:  their  Natural  Use  and  Spiritual  Meaning," 
was  published  as  a  vacation  nunilnT  for  the  Helper  in  tlie  summer  of 
1911.  This  gives  many  of  the  thoughts  which  came  to  Mr.  Giles  when 
looking  upon  the  Alps. 

Some  time  after  its  publication  those  in  charge  of  the  New  Church 
book  rooms  in  Philadelphia  were  surprised  to  receive  within  the  space 
of  a  week  or  ten  days  orders  for  this  lecture  from  all  over  the  country. 
This  sudden  demand  from  so  many  different  localities  was  explained 
when  it  was  learned  that  in  Boston,  I  think,  there  had  been  a  type- 
writer's Convention.  As  a  contest  for  speed  this  lecture,  being  of  suit- 
able length,  was  read  aloud  to  the  assembled  stenographers.  That  their 
interest  was  aroused  is  shown  by  the  orders  sent  to  the  book  rooms. 

The  '■  Chauncey  Giles  Year  Book "  contains  an  extract  from  Mr. 
Giles's  writings  for  every  day  in  the  year,  with  an  appropriate  Scrip- 
true  text  for  each  selection. 

In  writing  a  review  for  this  book  Rev.  Frank  Sewall  savs: 


'o 


Few  of  us,  remembering  the  clear  and  practical  expositions  of  Scrip- 
ture and  the  fine  eloquence  of  the  sermons  of  Chauncey  Giles,  think  of 
him  or  speak  of  him  as  a  poet;  and  yet  in  his  writings  will  doubtless 
be  found  many  a  gem  of  genuine  poetic  expression  —  the  real  creative 
art,  that  will  characterize  the  poetry  that  tlie  New  Church  is  to  produce. 

Emerson,  with  all  his  appreciation  of  tlie  spiritual  meaning  of  na- 
ture, and  all  his  knowledge  of  what  Swedenborg  has  taught  men  about 
it,  has  never  drawn  finer  pictures  than  these,  which  fairly  glow  with 
spiritual  life  and  beauty. 

He  then  quotes  from  "Mountains;  tlieir  Natural  Use  and  Spiritual 
Meaning": 

"Tlie  winds  which  seem  so  idle  and  lawless,  roaming  over  land  and 
sea,  resting  when  they  will;  and  stopping  to  play  and  sing  with  leaf  and 
falling  stream,  are  doing  His  biddinfr,  '  Vilio  maketli  the  clouds  His 
chariot;  Wlio  walkcth  upon  tin-  wiii^s  ol   the  wind."'" 

Again  from  the  same: 

-4  477  )§►- 


THE   LIFE   OF  CHAUNCEY   GILES 

"  In  loving  reciprocal  service  every  drop  of  water  which  runs  through 
Nile  and  Amazon  and  Mississippi  was  given  to  the  mountains,  like  a 
good  man's  deeds,  through  the  silent  and  invisible  channels  of  the  upper 
air.  Every  particle  was  raised  on  the  wings  and  in  the  loving  embrace 
of  the  angels  of  heat,  sent  forth  by  the  sun  on  these  errands  of  mercy. 
In  these  invisible  forms,  and  the  awful  silences  of  the  upper  air,  the 
ocean  gives  its  dower  to  the  mountains,  and  sends  its  messages  of  love 
and  cheer  to  man." 

The  italicized  lines  are  in  the  noblest  forms  of  poetic  expression, 
and  are  unique  in  their  ability  to  inspire  a  purely  scientific  fact  with 
spiritual  life  and  beauty  as  only  the  mind  imbued  with  the  New 
Churchman's  knowledge  of  the  Divine  correspondences  of  nature 
can  do. 


-^  478  ^- 


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